However, he saw Nina leaning in the arms of another man. The two of them were very intimate, locking eyes with affection. Nash's brows furrowed instantly, his previously indifferent face darkening. His sharp gaze fixed on the embracing couple.In Nash's impression, Nina seemed to have no male friends, at least none he had seen before. Suddenly, the appearance of this man felt like a stone in his heart, making him feel uncomfortable. He couldn't help but quicken his pace towards them.Nina was startled for a moment, then realized that the two were too close, which was inappropriate, so she quickly stepped out of his embrace."Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Scott asked with concern."I'm fine, thank you," Nina replied politely, smiling at him. "No need to thank me," Scott said. "Look, when we first met, you either said sorry or thank you. You don't have to be so formal."Scott still wanted to establish a closer relationship with her. Nina, out of politeness, tended to be very co
His words shocked Nina deeply. This was the most private secret between her and Nash. How could he say it out loud? She remained cautious.Scott was extremely surprised, stunned for a moment before calmly asking, "How did you find out?"Nash moved his mouth slightly, but Nina spoke first, "Mr. York is just joking." She interrupted Nash directly, maintaining a smile on her face as she stepped away from him."I've been busy with work all these years, how could I possibly get married? Don't overthink it," she said to Scott.Upon hearing this, Nash's face tensed up, his gaze fixed on Nina with displeasure, lips pressed tight."I see," Scott sighed in relief. "Well, that's alright. I was wondering why I didn't hear about your marriage."If she had gotten married, he thought, he would have known.Nina immediately changed the subject, not giving Nash a chance to explode, saying, "Scott, I promised to go back to the company with Mr. York. You don't need to see me off. You go ahead and t
Paris quickly took out the item from the bag and said, "This one. I was afraid Nina would be too busy, and since it was on my way, I had it brought back."As Nash looked at the suit that didn't belong to him, his gaze became sharp. It was a man's suit. Suddenly, he thought of Scott. It seemed that Nina and Scott met at the exhibition, and she brought back this bag. At the time, he hadn't thought about what was inside. It turned out to be his suit.Nash subconsciously clenched his fist. Paris noticed his expression, which didn't change much, but she knew Nash didn't like to show his emotions. She asked again, "Mr. York, should I place it here?"Nash pursed his lips and suddenly replied coldly, "Put it there."Paris's lips curled slightly. "Alright, then. I'll leave first."After completing this series of actions, Paris left satisfied, eager to see how much trust Nina could withstand from Nash.Nash harbored some resentment deep down; whenever he saw this suit during work, it bothe
Walking to the door of the private room, the environment on the second floor was indeed much more elegant, with fewer people compared to downstairs. As the door opened, the people inside warmly exclaimed, "Mr. Lucas, Mr. Lucas is here!""Scott, you've really changed a lot, so handsome, rich, and charming. I bet the girls who like you are lining up, right?" Scott jokingly replied, "Well, I wouldn't know. I'll have to check later.""In that case, you're still single, huh? Ladies present, take note, Scott is a good catch. You should seize the opportunity!" They chatted with Scott for a while before noticing Nina behind him. They seemed to realize something and said with a smile, "We have another distinguished guest today, Nina is here too."Nina apologized, "Sorry for being late." "Nina, you're not being very considerate. You rarely attended previous gatherings. If it weren't for Scott, we probably wouldn't have seen you at all.""But, Nina is still as beautiful as ever." "Bea
Everyone was curious about his answer.Scott paused for a while, being watched by everyone, and softly moved his lips, "She's not here and you don't know her."The interest everyone had suddenly disappeared."Oh, I thought it was Nina. It turns out it's not. It seems we were overthinking."Nina never thought it was her.Their relationship was now more familiar than in the past.It was everyone's over-speculation.Afterward, the focus was no longer on her, which left her feeling relaxed, not having to engage in their conversations.During the class reunion, men talked among themselves about work and business while holding their wine glasses.Nina drank a bit, perhaps not having drunk for too long, and soon felt dizzy, entering a slightly tipsy state.She vaguely heard someone talking, and it seemed like they were discussing her name."Among us, Nina seems to be doing well, huh? She's hovering between two big bosses. She must have made a lot of benefits, right?""I don't want
Even the person who wanted to hit Nina could only cover her face, holding back her grievances. Nash stared coldly at them. "Don't you understand the situation? Who should you apologize to?"They immediately understood and hurried to Nina, speaking humbly, "Sorry, Nina, we shouldn't have speculated randomly. We know we were wrong and won't dare to do it again."They knew Nash's power. Here, no matter how capable they were, they shouldn't oppose the York family. If they offended him, they could forget about having a good time in the company in the future. They still had families, children, parents, and couldn't risk their jobs.Nina naturally wouldn't hold it against them, but she still hadn't understood why Nash was here, staring at him blankly. "What are you doing here?"Nash looked at her, his dissatisfaction palpable. He grabbed her arm, still angry, and said coldly, "Come home with me!"Nina shook off his hand. "Why should I go with you? We have nothing to do with each other."
Thinking about the grievances she had endured, Nina cried even harder. Her tears attracted onlookers."Hey buddy, did you upset your girlfriend? Look at her crying like that, she must have been really upset!" A passerby couldn't help but comment upon seeing the situation.Nash didn't want to deal with this in public. He had never encountered such a situation before. "She’s just throwing a tantrum. She'll be fine in a while," he said.He tried to pick up Nina to take her away, but she clung to him like an eel, crying loudly."Patience is key when coaxing your girlfriend," another passerby advised. "You must have upset her for her to refuse to leave with you. No girl gets angry for no reason."Nash had no idea why she was angry. He wasn't even angry himself, so where was her temper coming from? But seeing her cry so much, he didn't know what to say.Nash got a headache. He had never comforted a woman like this before, feeling awkward and helpless. It was even harder than negotiatin
Upon hearing this, Nash looked over and noticed that she was scratching her hand, which had developed a rash. He immediately grabbed her arm to prevent her from scratching recklessly. "Stop scratching," he said in a deep voice.Nina was in great discomfort. "It's itchy," she replied.Nash furrowed his brows and said gravely, "You're allergic to alcohol and yet you drank so much."Nina was a bit disoriented as she opened her eyes and seemed to see Nash's figure. "Where am I?" she asked."At home," he replied.Nash took off her shoes, then removed her clothes that were in the way and tucked her into bed.Nina became somewhat clear-headed, recalling that she had attended a class reunion, where she had a bit to drink and encountered some minor issues. It was at this critical moment that Nash appeared."Did you bring me back?" Nina asked.Nash went to the bathroom and brought back a basin of hot water, dampening a towel to gently wipe her arms. Her small arms were red and covered in
Leonard, a cheerful and outgoing young man, worked skillfully at the machine while apologizing profusely. “Sorry about this. I don’t know what’s up with this machine today. It’s being a bit temperamental. I hope it’s not causing too much trouble for you.”Karina smiled back warmly. “It’s no problem at all.”As Leonard glanced up at Karina and Wilfred, he couldn’t help but comment, “You two look great together! Are you on a date?”Karina’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she opened her mouth to clarify, but Wilfred cut in first. “Thank you. It’s a rare day off, so I thought I’d take her out to relax.”Startled, Karina glanced at him in surprise, but the unexpected sweetness of his words brought a quiet warmth to her heart.Leonard grinned knowingly. “This movie’s been super popular lately. Lots of couples have been coming to watch it. You’re lucky to have snagged tickets—later in the day, it’s almost impossible to get seats.”Wilfred nodded politely. “Is that so? Then I suppose we’re
Karina couldn’t reconcile the composed, confident, and highly skilled Wilfred she knew with the idea of him as a slave. Her lips trembled as though she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. Wilfred noticed the shock in her expression and let out a faint, bitter smile before continuing. “In that dark, endless hell, I was subjected to all kinds of drug experiments every day. My body and mind were pushed to the brink, treated as nothing more than a tool. My life and death were entirely in their hands.” A sharp pang shot through Karina’s chest as she listened. She couldn’t begin to imagine the suffering Wilfred had endured. “How did you escape?” she managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper. Wilfred’s gaze grew distant, his eyes clouded with memories. “There was a rare moment of carelessness during a transfer. I seized the opportunity with everything I had left and escaped. After that, I hid my identity, pouring all my effort into studying medici
Instead of heading out to eat, Wilfred decided to head home. It was the weekend, and with Mrs. Santos off-duty, they could cook for themselves. The fridge had just enough ingredients left for a proper meal. Karina pulled out an unopened carton of cream and called toward the living room, “Do you like cream of mushroom soup?” A response came from Wilfred, and with his approval, she got to work preparing the ingredients. The dishes she planned weren’t particularly complicated, so in no time, the table was filled with food. After all the bustling in the kitchen, Karina almost forgot the reason she had come in the first place. But seeing Wilfred pick up his utensils brought her back to her thoughts. “I wanted to ask you about your sleepwalking last night. Mrs. Santos said it happens often,” she said, her tone filled with concern. Karina had known Wilfred for quite a while now, and their relationship was fairly close. Yet she had never heard about his sleepwalking, not from hi
Yvette’s expression lit up with the thrill of gossip. “Who are we talking about? Is it Dr. Wilfred?” “It’s about a friend,” Karina lied smoothly, her face betraying nothing. Yvette’s face immediately screamed, “Yeah, right.”“Come on, at least come up with a better excuse. That ‘it’s for a friend’ line is so overused it’s practically expired,” she teased, before shifting gears. “Alright, spill the details. And don’t leave anything out. I want to know everything. Not just for gossip but to help you figure things out.” With no other choice, Karina recounted Wilfred’s hot-and-cold behavior toward her. After hearing the story, Yvette leaned back with a sharp hiss, as if processing something heavy. “I think your, uh, friend’s boyfriend might just have something he’s keeping to himself. Maybe there’s a reason he doesn’t want her to know.” Karina’s brows furrowed slightly. “Think about it,” Yvette continued. “If he really didn’t care, would he have been so quick to catch he
Karina stood, but as she took a step, her foot caught on something, and she nearly fell. Before she could hit the ground, Wilfred caught her. The unexpected gesture left Karina more confused than ever. If he was so cold and distant moments ago, why would he help her like this? She wasn’t the only one caught off guard. Wilfred himself was surprised by his reaction. It had been pure instinct. The moment he saw her about to fall, he moved to catch her without a second thought. It was as if his heart acted faster than his words ever could. Before she could ask anything, Wilfred released her quickly, his demeanor detached once more, as if trying to explain away his actions. “Regardless, thank you for earlier.” He hesitated briefly before adding, “Do you have a way to get home? I can drive you if it’s inconvenient.” The warmth Karina felt moments ago instantly turned cold. She forced a bitter smile. “No need. I’ll get home on my own.” She laughed at herself inwardly, a s
Mrs. Santos glanced upstairs. “Mr. Wilfred went straight to bed after coming home, but I noticed he’s having nightmares again. Honestly, I think you should—"Before she could finish, Karina rushed past her, ignoring the protest.Mrs. Santos tried to stop her, but it was no use. Karina sprinted up the stairs and pushed open the bedroom door, her heart clenching at the sight before her. Wilfred, who was usually so composed and aloof, lay on the bed, visibly distressed. His eyes were tightly shut, his face drenched in sweat, and his lips were pressed together so hard they were turning pale. Karina knelt by the bed, gently taking one of his hands in hers. It was so cold that it sent a chill through her. “Wilfred, can you hear me? It’s Karina. I’m here. Wake up,” she urged softly. But he didn’t respond. Karina took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She placed her palm against his cheek and spoke in a soothing tone. “It’s just a nightmare. That’s all it is. Wake up
Still, as long as she could see the smiles on the faces of patients and their families, it all felt worth it. But when Karina went to the director’s office, it was empty. The quiet room seemed to carry traces of Wilfred’s presence, leaving her momentarily dazed. “Where could he have gone?” she wondered.Just then, someone passing by said, “Are you looking for Dr. Wilfred? I just saw him change clothes and leave. He might have gone home. It’s already past office hours.” Karina glanced outside at the darkening sky and nodded in realization. But something still didn’t sit right. Not to mention, Wilfred always let her know when he was leaving work. Most days, he would even drive her home. If he wanted to go back on his own today, wouldn’t he at least say something? Shaking her head, she gave her cheeks a hard slap—hard enough to make them sting. “What are you even thinking, Karina? Who are you to him, anyway? He doesn’t owe you an explanation for leaving.” Talking hersel
By now, everyone had fully recognized Wilfred’s skills. In fact, when trouble arose, he was the first person they turned to for a solution. With Wilfred around, everyone felt much more reassured.On the way to the operating room, Karina trailed behind him, her gaze fixed on his back. She clenched her fists silently. She had always thought she had made progress, but moments like this reminded her she still wasn’t good enough and still couldn’t quite match his level. She resolved to work even harder and live up to the expectations he had for her. *Karina entered the operating room and prepared to take the lead. When the assisting nurses and doctors inside saw that the surgeon had suddenly changed, they were visibly surprised. But in the sterile silence of the operating room, and with their faces hidden behind masks, no one spoke out loud. Instead, they quietly worried in their hearts. Wilfred found a seat nearby, observing silently. Karina stayed focused, pouring a
With about two hours left before the surgery, Karina focused intently on reviewing the patient’s information. She had never taken over a major surgery at the last minute before, and she didn’t want to waste a single second. Wilfred didn’t remain idle either. Leaning forward slightly, he pointed to the patient file with a steady hand. “This patient has coronary artery disease, along with several other complications causing vascular blockages. When he arrived at the hospital, he had already lost consciousness.” He continued in a calm, soothing tone, like the gentle flow of a stream. “Since the patient is over fifty, you’ll need to be particularly mindful during the procedure…” His steady voice eased Karina’s anxiety, giving her a sense of calm she desperately needed. When a knock at the door interrupted them, signaling it was time to head to the operating room, Karina felt more composed. Just as she stood, Wilfred rose with her. “I’ll go with you,” he said. “Having me ther