Karina was stunned when she heard the news. She hesitated for a moment before looking at Wilfred. “Are you going to visit her?” After all, they did know her. Wilfred thought for a moment and said, “Yeah, I’ll go see her.” Hearing this, Karina couldn’t help feeling a bit downhearted, but she quickly shook it off. “Doesn’t this just show that Wilfred is compassionate and values relationships? Caring is a good thing!” Comforting herself with that thought, she brightened up. At that moment, Wilfred turned to her and asked, “Do you want to come with me? I think you’re free today, aren’t you?” As the hospital director, he naturally knew everyone’s schedules—especially Karina’s. It so happened that Karina was indeed free that day. Surprised by the invitation, she pointed at herself. “Me?” “Yeah. Since you’ve been accepted into graduate school, you’ll eventually study conditions affecting the brain. This could be a good learning experience.” Karina was silent for
Wilfred’s words hit right where it mattered most, resonating deeply with the nurse. She sighed heavily, while the others shook their heads and muttered their own exhausted complaints, clearly worn out. “Exactly. But what can we do? She’s a patient sent to us, so we’ve got no choice but to deal with it,” the nurse replied, her voice tinged with resignation. It was then that she noticed Karina standing beside Wilfred. The way Karina seemed naturally close to him caught her attention. Though the two didn’t speak much, their dynamic was apparent even in their body language. Karina instinctively leaned slightly toward Wilfred, her posture subtly tilted in his direction—something she herself probably hadn’t realized. The nurse’s eyes glinted with understanding, and a knowing smile spread across her face. When she spoke again, there was an unmistakable hint of teasing in her tone. “Still, Dr. Wilfred, you shouldn’t have brought someone else into this situation.” She gestured sub
But finding her couldn’t be delayed—any delay might lead to trouble. So, they split up and began a thorough search of the rehabilitation center. “Wendy!” Karina called out the girl’s name as she searched every corner. Suddenly, she heard a faint sound of sobbing ahead. The noise was soft and intermittent, almost as if someone was trying to hide it. This facility was specifically for patients who refused to go to hospitals or psychiatric institutions, often people with unusual or complex conditions. Karina’s mind raced with possibilities. Was it a mentally unstable patient? Someone with a fragile body or an unpredictable condition like epilepsy? Either way, it was unnerving. Still, she gathered her courage and moved forward, thinking it could be the person they were looking for. “Wendy, is that you?” As she approached, a foot suddenly shot out in front of her, as if trying to trip her. This kind of trick might work in movies, but in broad daylight, it was hard to mi
No one said another word, and fortunately, everyone knew their place. The staff didn’t pry further, nor did they comment on Wendy’s behavior. What could they say? Wendy’s family was wealthy, making her the "VIP" here, while the caregivers were just employees. They could only accept the situation, no matter how frustrating. With long sighs, the caregivers left. Wilfred pulled out the equipment from the medical kit and handed it to Karina to perform the examination. Initially, they thought Wendy would resist, as she usually did. To their surprise, she merely let out a cold scoff. Even Karina, not to mention Wilfred, was caught off guard. Could a few words really have made her more cooperative? As it turned out, of course not. After the brief examination, Wendy began her tirade, directing it squarely at Karina. “Don’t think just because you said a few kind words to me that I’ll stop hating you,” she snapped. “As long as you don’t give Wilfred back to me, I won’t
Wilfred had been considering visiting Wendy’s home. After all, he was effectively one of her attending doctors now. It wasn’t unusual for a doctor to visit a patient’s living environment, especially when their condition showed little improvement. But doing so without an invitation felt too forward, and he wasn’t comfortable overstepping that boundary. After hearing this, Karina nodded in agreement, then sighed again. “Forget it for now. At least she’s here for the time being. We’ll just have to keep a closer eye on her.” Following that, Karina began visiting the rehabilitation center regularly. Each time she went, she would bring something for Wendy. Over time, Wendy’s attitude toward her softened, even though she still often greeted Karina with sarcastic remarks. At least now, the hostility had eased somewhat. *One day, Karina set off for another visit, carrying a bag of fresh oranges that Wendy liked. She had gone to great lengths to pick out the best ones—big, pl
After wiping away her tears, Wendy calmed down and seemed like herself againKarina thought for a moment before saying gently, “Don’t blame yourself because of them.” “What?” Wendy asked, confused. “They’re not worth it. What you need to learn first isn’t how to gain their approval—it’s how to accept yourself and love yourself,” Karina said, her words deliberate and firm, her gaze filled with both sympathy and a hint of reminiscence. She was thinking about her own past. When Karina was living with the Stone family, she was just like Wendy. Karina was ignored and treated poorly too. Back then, she was young and naive, thinking that if she just tried harder, Mr. and Mrs. Stone would one day change their view of her. It wasn’t until she had endured countless setbacks and hardships that she finally understood a crucial truth that not everyone was worth pleasing. Or rather, the moment someone demanded you to lower yourself to please them, they had already shown they were
Karina let out a sigh. “Maybe the topic didn’t align with their core values?” “Don’t let anyone else hear you say that,” Yvette warned, visibly uneasy as she shuddered. “If word gets out, you’re done for.” It was clear Yvette couldn’t believe Karina had the audacity to openly criticize the Association. Who else would dare? “I’m just trying to find some humor in a bad situation,” Karina said, exasperated. “I put so much effort into that paper, and now that it’s been rejected, can’t I even vent a little?” Yvette sighed again and plopped into a chair. “Seriously, though, why’d you even pick a fight with the Association? Now look, you and Dr. Wilfred are probably the only two people they’ve ever deliberately targeted.” Karina froze for a moment, then felt an unexpected urge to laugh. Technically, Wilfred wasn’t her mentor in the formal sense, but the situation was undeniably ironic. His paper had also been rejected by the Association in the past, and now hers had been too
Professor Cruz was a senior professor at the local medical university, responsible for teaching students in their sophomore year and above. With only three lectures a month and sometimes even fewer, his classes were always packed to capacity. The reason? His teaching quality was unmatched. Every student he mentored personally had gone on to achieve great things. Most earned doctorates, while the "least accomplished" held master’s degrees. If Professor Zeller was considered one pillar of the medical world, then Professor Cruz was undoubtedly the other. The two were strikingly different in one key way.While Professor Zeller was known for wielding influence and had even founded the prestigious "Tree of Life Association" to gather top talent in the field, Professor Cruz preferred a more carefree life. He was elusive, often absent even to the students he directly mentored. Securing a spot in one of his classes was nearly impossible. It was a rare opportunity not to be missed
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