Before Nash could respond, Julia hung up the phone. The busy tone seemed to pound inside Nash's mind. Clutching the phone, his handsome face was instantly overshadowed by a veil of gloom, an aura of darkness enveloping him.Nina entered the room and beheld Nash in this state, his hand gripping her phone. Her heart skipped a beat. With hospital appointments now made through mobile apps, she feared Nash might have seen her registration and payment records.Especially when Nash’s piercing, cold black eyes landed on her, Nina’s palms turned cold, unsure how to face him. But suddenly, Nash coldly dropped a bombshell, “Nina, did you tell your mother about us planning to divorce?”Nina’s heart had been in her throat, but upon hearing Nash’s question, she let out a long sigh of relief. She pressed her lips together, “Talking to my parents about what’s going on in my life, isn’t that normal?”Though she had not expected Nash to pick up her phone call, she had already informed him long ago a
Serene's words had no effect on Nash and he did not care to hear her excuses. He had only one point and he voiced it out, “You can't replace Nina, and don't even think about such fantasies!”“Thank you for your guidance, Mr. York. I’ll call the restaurant right away to have the meal redelivered.” Serene still did not dare to look up at Nash.Nash coldly spoke, “No need!” With that, Nash got up and left Serene behind in the office.Even after Nash had left, Serene was still shaken. Nash seemed to think she was scheming to take Nina's place, but Nina had recruited her to fill in her position.Given Nash's attitude, it seemed he might fire her at any moment.She was employed at York Corporation, and if Nash fired her, how would other companies view her resume? Would anyone want to hire her?Moreover, she was dealing with Nash York, the top business tycoon in the capital, the head of the York family!With these thoughts, a resolute flicker crossed Serene's eyes. She must find a way
Julia scoffed dismissively, "If she comes again, I definitely won't let her leave easily! People take advantage of kindness, and we haven't done anything wrong, why should we be afraid of her!"Nina felt a warmth in her eyes. After all, her parents were doing this for her.Nina said in a hoarse voice, "I don't want you to argue with others. I'll handle Sally."Sally had never liked her to begin with. Now that Nash was unwilling to divorce, perhaps Sally could be a point of leverage.After making a meal for her parents, Nina left.Unexpectedly, as she was about to hail a taxi at the entrance of the neighborhood, she saw a black luxury car parked across the street. The window rolled down, revealing Nash's handsome face clearly in her view.His hand rested on the window, his long fingers holding a half-smoked cigarette.Nina hesitated for a moment, then approached. Her action of opening the car door caught Nash's attention.When Nash turned to look at her, Nina had already sat dow
Upon hearing the word "poisoned," Nina was taken aback.Miranda was poisoned while in the hospital! What was going on?Miranda's throat tightened, and she felt a chill at the base of her heart. Nash knew about it but had not come immediately. Nash had changed. The Nash she knew would never have acted like this.Miranda choked up, "Nash, do you think I’m pretending? I’m not, everything is documented in medical reports, and that collagen supplements have been sent for testing."Hearing this, Nina finally understood. Miranda was poisoned because of those collagen supplements she had sent over. Since Sally held Miranda in such high regard and even thought to send her supplements, Sally could not be the one poisoning her. The only possible culprit was Nina herself!Nina said coldly, “I delivered the supplements to the hospital as your mother wished, but I never opened the package. If I had, Miranda would have noticed.”She would not bear the blame for something she had not done.
Nash remained silent. His thin lips pressed into a straight line, his handsome face taking on an especially stern appearance. "Nina, have you also learned to play the victim to get a divorce? Should I consider sending you into show business?" His voice, low and laced with sarcasm, rang in Nina's ears.Nina was incredulous, "In your eyes, am I playing the victim?"After all the time she had spent by his side, even if there were no emotional ties, through their daily interactions, he couldn't possibly have no understanding of her character.Yet, he had uttered such words!Nina was disappointed, "Think whatever you want. We're just married by contract, and what I do in other aspects of my life is my freedom, and you have no right to interfere."Whether she entered the entertainment industry was her choice.As for the poisoning accusation Miranda mentioned, she needed to prove her innocence."Mr. York, are you going to drive? If you're not planning to, then I'll get out," Nina sai
"All this scheming, it could be made into a movie. Truly astounding!"...Nina no longer paid attention to the comments online. She knew that once the evidence was out there, as long as she could prove her innocence, how it fermented online was irrelevant to her.Since she was staying at Riverside Estate, she had left some items there. She gathered what she needed and left behind what she did not. There was not much to pack, and she was done quickly.Just as she opened the door, she saw Nash standing at the doorway. His gaze fell on the items in her hands, and his expression instantly clouded over, becoming stark and cold."I was going to show you those things, but the comments online were too harsh. I just needed to prove my own innocence." Whether Miranda was truly framing her or if she had been poisoned by someone else but mistakenly attributed it to her, everything else seemed irrelevant now that she had proven her innocence. Even if Nash was angry, there was nothing she cou
Nina's eyes, clear and resolute, were full of defiance. She was very different from before."I'll go with you to make an appointment at the district court next Wednesday," Nash coldly declared.Nina was determined. Nina checked the date and it was only Monday today, leaving several days until next Wednesday. Every second counted, especially in the coming days!Nina pursed her lips, "Why can't we make the appointment today? I don’t want to delay unnecessarily.""Miranda’s situation hasn’t been fully resolved yet," Nash coldly dropped this comment, showing his reluctance to continue discussing the topic.His attitude suggested he could not bear another second of seeing her.And his comment—what did he mean by that?Did he think she was involved in Miranda’s poisoning?Even though she had already provided clear evidence, Nash’s attitude still suggested disbelief in the validity of her findings.However, Nash agreeing to make the appointment at the district court was still better
Nash’s father placed his tea on the table, speaking softly, “What’s the use of saying all this? He said he has a clear idea about what to do, so let him handle it.”Sally became even more agitated upon hearing this. "How can you be so indifferent? Leaving him to handle it alone. What if he can't go through with the divorce?"Nash's father glanced up at Sally, replying coolly, "Whether he can divorce or not is his own affair. Why are you so concerned?"“How can I not worry about my son?” Sally emphasized.Seeing her like this, a hint of disgust flickered in Nash’s father’s eyes, but he remained silent.Seeing his reaction, Sally became more agitated, “Do you even consider him your son? All these years, you've never cared. This family might as well not have you at all!”“He’s been doing fine all these years, hasn’t he?” Nash’s father’s tone was as indifferent as ever, as if Nash was not his child.Sally retorted, “He’s not close to us, how can he be fine? It’s all your fault. If i
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