Linda didn't dodge; she just tilted her head and looked back at Nina. "Why are you so angry, Nina? Assaulting someone is against the law!"Nina sternly retorted, "The things you've done could land you in jail!"Unfazed, Linda smiled and replied, "What things? Nina, don't falsely accuse me. I haven't done anything wrong; I'm just here on a trip.""Nina, what are you doing!" Suddenly, Sally approached from nearby, her face not looking too pleased at seeing Nina hitting someone. She rebuked, "You're getting too hot-tempered, even hitting Linda. She's carrying the seed of our York family in her belly. Can you afford to pay if you damage it?"Nina glanced over as Sally came to support her. Taking advantage of this, Linda's eyes gleamed with a victorious smile. "Sally, it's nothing. She can't conceive, so she's envious of others. That's why she gets angry seeing me."Sally sharply remarked, "She can't lay eggs, yet she expects others not to bear offspring. She's been spoiled!"Nina fur
Linda instinctively covered her stomach, palms sweating. She forced a smile, "I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm not afraid of retribution."Seeing them speak in riddles, Sally didn't quite understand. However, sensing something amiss with Nina, she coldly asked, "What are you doing here? I’m just trying to take a break and still run into you."Linda quickly replied, "I just asked, it seems Nina attended a funeral here, right in this place.""A funeral?" Sally felt embarrassed and quickly pulled Linda away, saying, "Don't stand with her, it's ominous!"Nina pursed her lips and remarked calmly, "The area you're in is all cemetery.""In such a place? Linda, why would you come here?" Sally urged, "Let's go elsewhere, this place is too eerie, not good for the baby!"As they conversed, Sue, who happened to be standing at the entrance of the cemetery, caught sight of them. She frowned at Linda's figure. It was that woman!Sue clenched her fists, brows furrowed. Why was that woman h
"I told Dad that Nina was bullying you, which led to the police detaining you. He was furious and went to confront Nina. But he shouldn't have kidnapped her. Could it be true what she said, that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes? Think about that woman who helped us. Could it be her...?" Sue felt a chilling sensation creeping over her. How could someone help others without any reason? If not for a purpose...Then, had her father also believed her nonsense?"It's impossible, it's impossible..." Lily refused to believe this fact.Sue said, "If someone else killed Dad, what should we do?"She did not know what to do next.They could not let her father's death be in vain and let the culprit escape unpunished.---"Is it over?" Standing there, his tall figure towering, Nash asked as the car parked behind him, seeing Nina walking over.Nina looked up at him. "Yes, it's over.""They've all gone back. Why did you take so long?" Nash noticed her late arrival.N
She gazed at Nash suddenly, noticing his icy demeanor and his chilling gaze. He spoke coolly, "You've been acting strange lately. Are you afraid I'll find out something?" Nina's heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong? Find... find what?"Nash replied, "Ever since you started finding women for me, I've sensed something off about you. And sneaking off to the hospital!"Nina avoided his gaze. "My life is perfectly normal. You're just imagining things.""Then tell me why. Give me a convincing reason!" Nash always felt Nina was being secretive, as if she had a secret he had not uncovered yet. He could not quite guess what it was and had to wait for her to confess.Nina crossed her hands, trying to ease her tension, and spoke lightly, "Nash, haven't you noticed something off about yourself?""Me? Something off?"After all this time, Nash only got such an explanation from Nina. Her explanation was a bit hard to believe. "What's wrong with me?""Your attention has been entirely on me l
The two of them tacitly understood each other and did not say much more. Nina returned to her room to pack her things. With Xander's funeral over, it was time to go back."Nina," Julia suddenly walked in. Nina stopped what she was doing and turned around. "Mom." Julia sat down beside her, wanting to talk to her about something. Nina sensed it and sat next to her. "Mom, what's wrong?""This time, Nash came, did not he?" Julia said. "Yes." Julia turned to her. "Weren't you two talking about divorcing soon? But this time he came over to help you, it doesn't seem like a divorce. If you're both planning to divorce, there's no need to trouble him."They did not want to owe Nash too much, and it would be unclear how to repay him later. It was not a good situation."We came back to our hometown without telling Nash. I'll thank him later," Nina said. "Why does he still want to help you?" Julia did not quite understand. "If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you married the r
Lily hesitated for a long time. For her, ensuring that Xander could rest in peace underground was the right thing to do. She could not let him die in vain. "Nina, we've paid a heavy price for Xander's affair, and we've also suffered." These days, Lily seemed to have aged suddenly, with a few white hairs on her head. "I apologize for the harsh words I said to you during the funeral. I wasn't being rational. Now, as long as we can find the person who killed Xander, I'm willing to do anything.""Lily." Nina called out. "Those things are in the past, and I will not hold them against you. We still have to live our lives. We need to look forward and not dwell on the past. I'll find a solution for Sue's internship. Even though she can't work at the York Corporation, I won't let her suffer."This was the best outcome for them. Nina had better connections than them, so they would not lose out."Thank you, Nina." Lily smiled with relief.Sue also chimed in, "Nina, thank you."Returning to
The lady boss of the nightclub called.They had not been in touch for a long time, and Linda wanted to share the good news with her.After answering the phone, she happily said, "Hey, Boss, I'm doing great now. The child is healthy, we're living in a big house, and we have people taking care of us. Especially the child's dad's mother really likes me. I'm sure I'll be better and better in the future."But the lady boss sounded anxious on the other end: "Linda, I called to tell you that something has happened. The police came asking about you. Did you do something wrong?"Hearing this, Linda's face changed drastically: "The police are really looking for me?""Yes, they're asking about you. I don't know what's going on..."Before the conversation could finish, Linda hung up the phone.Everyone knew she lived at the York residence. The police would soon come here.She could not let them catch her, so she had to leave. She rushed out in a hurry, unable to say where she was going, an
The inherent aura of a young lady from a well-to-do family. Such nobility was unattainable by others. She envied them, those born as winners. Even though she had a pretty face, she could only work as a hostess in a nightclub. Looking at herself in the mirror, Miranda's lips curved slightly as she asked, neither cold nor indifferent, "What are you here for?""Save me, the police are after me," Linda said, still filled with fear. Terrified at the sound of police sirens, she knew only Miranda could save her."Ruby, step out first. I need to talk to her alone," Miranda instructed her assistant."Okay," the assistant replied and left the room. Now, it was just the two of them and a pile of dress samples. There was also a balcony nearby. Linda sat on a chair by the balcony, with a coffee table beside her, holding a cup of warm tea to warm her hands, speaking anxiously, "I have nowhere to turn now. The police will definitely catch me. I don't want to go to jail. I don't want..."Miran
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