Nash walked over and joined her in the breeze, his tone casual as he said, "I've gotten used to it. There's no point in trying to change things now. It's all the same."All the same? What did he mean by that? Nina thought she knew him well, but she realized there were still many secrets about him. She observed his side profile intently and inquired, "Did they treat you like this before? Isolated you?"But why, though?It was evident that these people were older than Nash. They dote on Eve so much, why couldn't they be more understanding toward Nash? He must have been very young when he was in the military.Nash replied, "I rarely meet with them anymore, so you don't need to worry too much.""You've never told me about your time in the military."Nash glanced at Nina. "I spent some time in the military, but it wasn't official. At that time, nobody cared, and Grandpa George took me in."Nina was surprised. "Why? Didn't your family take care of you?"Nash shrugged it off. "They
"Eve, thank you so much for being so kind to me," the person expressed gratitude. "I'm sorry you had to endure this.""You don't need to thank me. Anyone who bullies you is basically bullying me too. I naturally have to stand up for my friend and not let the bad guys win," Eve replied."I was just venting to you, but you took it to heart. I'm really touched by how you treat me. It's great to have a friend like you," the person said, moved.Eve had always been like this, sincere in her friendships. She had been pampered since childhood, never experiencing much hardship or the darker sides of human nature. When she heard her friend was being bullied, she immediately wanted to stand up for her, even though it ended up causing her trouble. But she had no regrets. Next time, she would do the same."I don't know if you're free lately, but I'd like to treat you to a meal to thank you properly," the person continued."I am," Eve replied, lying on her bed. "Anytime works for me, as long as
"I watched the behind-the-scenes footage, and she definitely did not use a stunt double. Her fight scenes were smooth and natural, so it's no wonder she's getting popular!""Have you seen it? Miranda is on fire. The stock market hit the ceiling today."Nina overheard people in the office discussing. She grabbed a glass of water from the pantry. Coincidentally, Taylor was there too. Seeing Nina, she said, "Nina, did you hear what they were saying? Mr. York invested heavily in Miranda. It's thanks to him that she's become this big. Miranda must have been Mr. York's savior in a past life!"Taylor still could not understand how Miranda could become popular. And it was just one drama that made her popular. She had not watched the drama yet, but she had heard others rave about how good it was. She was not fond of Miranda so even if her drama was popular, she did not want to watch it.Nina looked at Taylor and said with a smile, "Even if they praise her, it still depends on whether she
The two of them arrived in the city area, and Nina first took Taylor to do some shopping. The beverages in the pantry were mostly purchased from this store. It was done in no time. However, Nina's task was a bit more complicated. The coffee beans she bought for Nash required a phone call appointment, but fortunately, she managed to secure it."Is there such a fuss about the coffee beans you buy for Mr. York? You even need an appointment," Taylor asked, puzzled by the scarcity of these coffee beans."Mr. York is quite particular," replied Nina. "He only drinks this particular kind of coffee beans."Taylor could only sigh, marveling at the world of the wealthy, where even coffee beans were top-notch.Nina had already made an appointment with the shop manager. When she went in, she asked, "Manager, is it all prepared for me? Same as before?"The manager seemed somewhat hesitant. "Miss Nina, there's only this one bag left, and maybe..."He hesitated to continue, seemingly having di
"You better stop!" Eve interrupted her, "There's no Nash here, and no Grandpa either. You don't need to pretend in front of me. Show your true colors, you bad woman!"Her words caught Nina off guard. How did she become a bad woman? They had no conflict between them, right? Yet, she was labeled as such by her.Not wanting to cause trouble, Nina looked at Eve, who was several years younger and the granddaughter of Grandpa George. She grew up without her parents. Nina decided to compromise. "Since you both like it, you can have it. It's not a big deal."But Taylor was not willing to let it go. She wanted to stand up for Nina.Nina, however, said, "Taylor, let's go."Taylor asked, "What about Mr. York's coffee beans? They're gone now. If he can't have his coffee, he'll blame you.""It's okay."Seeing her trying to act good, Eve snorted, "Don't pretend to be nice. Even if you yield, I won't thank you. You got me scolded by Grandpa and embarrassed me. I haven't settled the score with
Upon hearing the noise, Nina instinctively slammed on the brakes. Her gaze shifted towards the alley, where she saw a few rough-looking men gathered together. These guys seemed shady, and when Nina caught a glimpse of the girl's clothing, it struck a chord. Wasn't that Eve? She stared for a moment longer, noticing the panic and fear on Eve's face. Clearly, she was in distress and did not know what to do in such a situation. Eve's complexion was grim."Don't come any closer! If you lay a finger on me, my grandfather won't let you get away with it!" Eve had grown up sheltered and privileged, never encountering such a situation before, let alone being bullied. She had intended to go out for dinner with Stella, but since Stella had something to attend to and was on the phone, Eve wandered around nearby. A few steps later, she found herself lost and ended up in this sketchy area.Initially, she had wanted to find Stella, but as she turned a corner, she stumbled upon several men acting
She did not react immediately. That wasn’t right."Two hundred bucks," the person holding the money was still greedy, not willing to give in. "She should have more than that.""This is all the cash we have," Nina replied. "If you want more, there's nothing left. Let her go, don't end up causing trouble for yourselves.""Are you trying to intimidate us?" They scoffed. "We're not easily scared. Just by selling a few of you, we could make more than a measly two hundred bucks."This cash is just a drop in the bucket, it should be at least twenty grand.""Twenty grand? Who carries that amount in cash? That's not realistic. How about this, you let her go, and I'll get the money for you," Nina replied."Are you trying to fool us like kids? If we let her go, won't you all just run away?"Considering your good looks, you could fetch tens of thousands if we sell you. If you want to redeem yourselves, you have to pay the price!"Seeing they were being unreasonable, greedy beyond measure,
Taylor and Eve were terrified, screaming loudly. Thankfully, her car was sturdy enough and did not get smashed through."Stop her, don't let her get away!" The men surrounded Nina's car, trapping her inside, preventing her from leaving."You've hurt a few of our brothers and now you want to run? If you dare ram into us, I'd like to see where you'll go!"Get out of the car!"These guys were furious, getting a bit crazy. Seeing them hiding in the car, they started smashing it.Eve's face turned pale with fear, tears streaming down her face. Taylor, seeing how skinny these men were but how strong they seemed, was getting worried. She asked, "What do we do, Nina? What should we do?"Glancing at the time, Nina reassured them, "Don't be afraid, we'll be fine.""Driving such a nice car, you must be wealthy. Giving us two hundred bucks to brush us off, treating us like beggars, do you think we're beneath you?"They kicked and smashed the car."Get out of the car!"They wanted them ou
The trash can sailed through the air, scattering its foul-smelling contents across the police station, filling the air with a pungent odor. Several young officers flanked Kieran from both sides, trying to grab hold of his arms. But Kieran thrashed wildly, his surprising strength allowing him to break free from one officer’s grip. With a sharp elbow strike, he hit another officer square in the stomach. The officer grunted in pain, stumbling back a few steps but gritted his teeth and held his ground. The scene in the reception hall descended into chaos. Civilians seeking assistance huddled in corners, some shrieking in fear. Mrs. Stone stood to the side, wringing her hands and stomping her feet in desperation. Her voice, pleading and panicked, was drowned out by her son’s shouting. “Kieran, stop this! Calm down!” she cried. But Kieran was too far gone, consumed by his manic performance. He couldn’t—or wouldn’t—hear her. The situation was teetering on the brink of tot
Karina stared at the flood of messages, feeling nothing but disgust and revulsion. Kieran’s texts were growing increasingly obsessive, filled with unhinged threats, unreasonable demands, and even veiled warnings against her safety. No. She couldn’t allow the Stone family’s harassment to continue unchecked. Taking a deep breath, she decisively dialed the police. She provided the authorities with a detailed account of the Stone family’s relentless harassment, including Kieran’s disturbing demands and the threatening content of his messages. The officers assured her that they would investigate promptly and provide her with protection if necessary. With the police now involved, Karina finally felt a sliver of relief. *The response was swift. The blare of sirens pierced through the city’s noise as several police cars raced toward Kieran’s address. Flashing red and blue lights reflected off the surrounding buildings, drawing curious stares from passersby. Guided by
The Stone family wasn’t just greedy. They were relentless, always pushing boundaries and expecting more.Karina sighed. “It’s not that I can’t stand up to them, but sometimes it feels unnecessary. There are things that just can’t be explained.”Wilfred didn’t press further. “Pack your things and come with me. I have to travel for a project negotiation that will help our hospital continue expanding.” He was determined to firmly establish himself in Birkham, not just for his professional ambitions but also because Nina was there. Wilfred wanted to protect her and mentor his students, ensuring they could safeguard Nina’s children in the future. “But didn’t we already promise a patient that we’d perform surgery?” Karina asked, a little hesitant. “I’ll arrange for someone else to handle it.” While Karina might have been the better choice for the surgery, Wilfred had other options, including pulling Caleb in at the last minute. “Alright,” Karina replied. Since Wilfred had
Sera blocked Karina’s path, her expression cold and disdainful. “You think you can just use that money to brush me off? Do I look like someone who needs your measly cash?”She grabbed Karina’s arm tightly, her nails biting into her skin. “Let me make this clear. If you don’t do what I’ve asked, I’ll ruin you, Karina. Completely.”Karina’s fear was palpable, but the thought of endless torment and manipulation was even more terrifying. She met Sera’s fierce gaze with a calm, unyielding stare. “Do whatever you want. But let me remind you, the money you gave me? I’m willing to go down with you if it comes to that. My life might not be worth much, but you’ve worked so hard to get into Wilfred’s hospital. Are you really willing to throw that all away?”Sera faltered. She had worked incredibly hard to get where she was. Countless sleepless nights studying, memorizing every detail of her medical texts, and enduring the challenges of difficult patients had pushed her to the brink. She often
Sera’s gaze was so sharp it felt like it could pierce through Karina. Karina hadn’t expected her momentary greed to create such a mess. If she couldn’t stay a doctor, she would have no source of income, and her life would spiral further out of control. “Please, don’t do this. Tell me what you want, and I’ll keep helping you. Maybe… I could spike his drink for you again, or set up another opportunity,” Karina said, grabbing Sera’s hand out of desperation. Sera clearly wasn’t short on money. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to give Karina such a large sum back then.All she wanted now was to secure her position at the hospital.Sera pulled her hand away, a mocking smile on her face. “Set up another opportunity? Do you think Wilfred would fall for it twice? Do you take him for an idiot, Dr. Norman?” Wilfred wasn’t an idiot, and ordinary drugs didn’t seem to affect him much.Karina felt utterly helpless. One wrong step had led to another, and now she had no idea how to
“Starting today, you’ll officially resume your position as my assistant. I trust you’ll adapt quickly,” Wilfred said firmly. Karina’s eyes lit up with a hint of surprise. “Dr. Wilfred, really? I’ll do my best to fulfill the responsibilities of the assistant role.” Wilfred stood up and walked over to her, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Familiarize yourself with the current work schedule and the relevant materials. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. I have confidence in you.” Karina hesitated, a trace of worry crossing her face. “But… I’m not sure this is a good idea.” Wilfred already had an assistant. If Karina agreed to take the position, wouldn’t that make her a target for trouble from his former assistant? And then there were all the people at the hospital who were infatuated with Wilfred. Lately, she had already been spending more time with him, drawing enough attention as it was. If she officially became his assistant, she’d surely
Back home, the first thing Karina did was take a shower, cranking the water temperature to the highest setting as if that was the only way to wash away the grim memories of the night.She scrubbed her arms fiercely, the spots where those repulsive men had touched her. Even through her clothes, the thought made her feel sick. Again and again, she lathered herself with soap until her skin turned slightly red, but no matter how hard she tried, the discomfort in her heart lingered.After her shower, Karina changed into clean pajamas and sat on the edge of her bed, unable to sleep. Her gaze fell on her phone. She hesitated for a moment before sending a text to Wilfred.“Dr. Wilfred, I’m truly grateful for your help tonight. I’ll never forget it.”After sending the message, she set her phone down, hugged her knees, and curled up on the bed. Returning to the hospital had always been her dream, but now she worried whether she could truly meet expectations and not let Wilfred down.As she
The men exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating for a moment before reluctantly mumbling, “Sorry,” to Karina. Wilfred watched their retreating figures with thinly veiled disgust. Turning to Karina, he asked gently, “Are you okay?” Karina shook her head lightly, brushing it off. “I’m fine, Dr. Wilfred. Thank you.” Wilfred let out a soft sigh. “Come with me. You shouldn’t be working here.” Karina nodded, following him out of the private room. Wilfred guided Karina through the bustling bar. The pounding music and chaotic chatter seemed distant and muted, fading into the background as they moved. They made their way to the parking lot, where Wilfred opened the car door, carefully helping Karina into the passenger seat before getting in himself and starting the engine. As Karina buckled her seatbelt, she turned to Wilfred with a look of curiosity. “Dr. Wilfred, didn’t you say you had things to handle at the hospital? How did you get here so quickly?” Wilfred kept his ey
When Karina stepped into the room, one of the men, his gaze hazy from drink, chuckled and said, “Well, so this is the beauty they sent over?”Karina forced herself to stay calm and replied politely, “Good evening, gentlemen. Here’s the drinks you ordered.” She began placing the drinks on the table one by one, hoping to finish quickly. Before she could finish, another man grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him. “Come, have a few drinks with us, sweetheart.”Karina’s heart raced as she pulled her hand away with force. “Sir, I’m just here to deliver your drinks. I don’t entertain guests.”The men burst into laughter. “What bar do you think you’re in? There’s no such thing as not entertaining here. Don’t play coy, sweetheart. Sit with us, and you’ll be rewarded handsomely.”Fear surged through Karina as she instinctively stepped back, trying to maintain some distance. “I’m really just here for work,” she said, her voice trembling. “Please respect me!”But the men, emboldened