Rattled by a blow to her pride, Miranda felt as though Nina was mocking her acting abilities, implying her performances required no intellectual effort.She had intended to boast about her accomplishments as a singer, suggesting that her acting career had taken her to new heights, even surpassing her previous success. But instead, Nina's remark felt like an insult, fueling a desire within Miranda to lash out.With Nash present, however, she had to rein in her temper."I think this poster turned out quite well. What do you think, Nina?" Miranda deliberately strolled to the window, glancing at the billboard on the building across the street. She chuckled, surprised by how prominent Nina's position was. Seeing her poster every day must be uncomfortable for her.Without even turning her head, Nina replied, "Miss Miranda, I still have work to do. Do you have any other business?"She had no interest in engaging with Miranda, who seemed more concerned with showing off than anything else.
Upon receiving the order, Cynthia simply replied, "Oh."Nash stared at Nina, his expression darkening involuntarily, and added, "I'm not accustomed to drinking what others make."Cynthia halted in her steps once again.However, Nina retorted, "Didn't you hear what Miss Miranda say? The company doesn't keep idlers. If Cynthia can't handle the drink, what else can she do?"Her words carried a sting, far from pleasant.This caused both Taylor and Cynthia to draw in a sharp breath, feeling uneasy.The atmosphere did not seem quite right.Taylor had been by Nina's side for several months now. Although she was reserved by nature, she was gentle in her demeanor, especially in front of Mr. York, showing utmost respect.She always knew how to handle any situation.When would she ever speak in such a tone to him?They dared not breathe heavily, standing there obediently.Nash's eyes darkened. He was not feeling pleased about this matter either. He said coldly, "Didn't you bring this u
Nina was completely stunned. When did Nash have the leisure to watch a movie with her? They had been married for so long, and he had never bothered to have dinner with her alone or watch a movie together. These were things that couples typically did.Seeing her silence, Nash asked again, "Why aren't you saying anything? I've already had Quincy reserve a restaurant for us. After dinner, we can catch a movie before heading home."Nina asked suspiciously, "Why do you suddenly want to have dinner and watch a movie with me? Is it some important holiday?"She maintained skepticism about anything that seemed overly unusual, especially between her and Nash. Recently, she had been pushing for a divorce and had been distant from him. Perhaps Nash just wanted to make amends, thinking she might not have such thoughts anymore. He said, "I simply want to have dinner with you. Come along with me when the time comes."Finishing his coffee that Nina made, he sensed something was off. "Did you cha
Her friend asked curiously again, "How do you know? You mentioned before that you had work collaboration with the York Corporation. Did Nash tell you?"Stella looked at Miranda walking towards them, confirming that she was indeed very beautiful, fitting the description of "unrequited love." But back then, she had asked Nash in person, and he had said he did not have feelings for anyone. The rumors of them falling in love since high school did not hold up.Stella composed herself and opened the car door. Just as Miranda walked past the car and heard the sound of the door opening, she instinctively glanced over and then looked away."Miss Miranda," Stella called out.Miranda stopped and turned to look.Seeing it was a girl, her guard lowered a lot. Now that her status was different, if she wanted to attract attention, she had to be approachable and friendly. So she subconsciously smiled and said, "Hello.""Miss Miranda, I didn't expect to meet you here. I'm your fan. I've watched y
Miranda chuckled again. "Actually, it's not much of a secret anymore. Nash admitted his marriage a while back, but he didn't want to tell everyone who his wife is.""Do you know?" Stella asked.Miranda replied, "I do know, but Nash doesn't want me to say. After all, it's a secret marriage. They've been married for so long, so naturally, he doesn't want everyone to know about the woman.""Alright, I have to go. I won't keep you any longer. I'll treat you to tea when I'm less busy." With that, Miranda got into her chauffeured car.Stella was left alone, puzzled for a while.Before getting into the car, Miranda glanced at Stella and smirked."Miranda, why didn't you assert your dominance? Let others know you're Mr. York's sweetheart. They'll feel the pressure and back off!" Her assistant, Ruby, did not understand why she acted that way.Miranda would not have said something like this before. But she noticed Stella's keen interest in Nash, which changed things.Since Stella mention
Nash still harbored some anticipation. Over the years, he had never prepared gifts to please women, so he was curious about Nina's reaction. However, upon arriving, he found Nina's desk empty. Approaching, he noticed her computer was off. He turned to Taylor, who was approaching, and asked coldly, "Where's Nina?"Taylor, holding a stack of documents, replied, "Nina left ten minutes early, said she had plans to dine with a friend."Nash's expression immediately soured!Dining with a friend? A male friend or a female friend? Didn't he mention they would have dinner together tonight? Was she rejecting him?Nash was displeased, his deep gaze turning extremely cold. Taylor, observing his gradually darkening expression, felt her heart pound in her throat, unaware of why he suddenly became upset. She quickly added, "Mr. York, I heard Nina's phone call. It was a woman's voice."Nash, with a stern face, swiftly walked out. Downstairs, Quincy had been waiting for a long time. They
"What's wrong?" Yvonne, noticing her sudden withdrawal, stopped the playful banter and asked instinctively. As she stood up, her gaze met Nash's looming figure, and she too felt a pang of panic. Why was Nash suddenly here? No one was more nervous than Nina herself. She had barely been catching up with Yvonne for a while, and now Nash appeared out of nowhere.Instinctively, she tidied her appearance to disguise her unease. Nash, still visibly displeased, approached with a stern, icy demeanor. Observing their apparent discomfort, he inquired sharply, "What's so amusing? You seem unusually happy."His penetrating gaze scanned the table, taking note of the tea, snacks, and an inconspicuous package that did not belong. Nina hurriedly removed the books and package, placing them behind her. "Nothing, just chatting with Yvonne, having some fun," she replied quickly, attempting to deflect his attention."Yeah, yeah," Yvonne chimed in, trying to help Nina navigate the awkward situat
Nash glanced at Nina. "It’s just a few novels. Why hide them? Am I not allowed to see them?""Naturally, one would read romance novels in private. Even girls feel embarrassed about it. You're overthinking it, Mr. York," explained Yvonne.Luckily, Nina was always cautious. Before buying the books, she had purchased several novels and kept them in her bag instead of leaving them on the table. Nina did not want Nash to know, so she made sure to cover all the bases, not even overlooking such details.However, Nina did not feel like engaging in further conversation with Nash. At this point, he was simply suspicious of her. Setting aside the matter of whether she was pregnant or not, just based on his firm and assertive demeanor made her want to storm off. Grabbing her bag, she promptly walked away from him.Nash tossed the books onto the table and called out after her, "Nina, stop!"But Nina did not halt her steps.Nash stepped forward and grabbed her hand, asking coldly, "Didn't yo
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