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
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
Wilfred looked at Karina, but in the end, he didn’t say what was on his mind. “How much longer are you going to wrap it?” he asked. Karina snapped out of her thoughts and realized she had nearly mummified his hand in bandages. “Oh, sorry! You were talking to me earlier, and I got distracted. Let me undo some of this.” She carefully unwrapped a couple of outer layers, and the bandaging instantly looked much better. Still, Karina couldn’t help her worried expression. “How did you get hurt? Did you grab the knife directly earlier?” Adjusting the bandages to feel more comfortable, Wilfred replied casually, “No, it just grazed me.” Karina’s brows knit tightly together. She felt an urge to storm down to the police station and give the culprit a piece of her mind. At the same time, she couldn’t understand Wilfred’s calm demeanor. He acted as if being injured was no big deal, his expression unbothered, like this was just another ordinary day. She couldn’t hold back. “You
Without sparing the man another glance, Karina let out a breath of relief as the police quickly left, bringing an end to the chaotic ordeal. Just as she thought she could relax, Yvette appeared nearby, making exaggerated winks and smirks, her face practically screaming curiosity. “Do you have a twitch or something?” Karina asked, raising an eyebrow. Yvette rolled her eyes. “Twitch? Who taught you how to talk? And no, that’s not the point! Spill it—what’s going on with you and the director?” Karina blinked, confused. “What do you mean by what’s going on?” Yvette’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you serious? Just now! You two were like all hugged up together! Do you think we’re blind? We all saw it. If you say there’s nothing going on, even a ghost wouldn’t believe you!“I’m telling you, honesty is your best option. Spill the truth now, and our friendship might survive this,” Yvette teased with mock seriousness. Karina’s brain blanked out. Her face flushed bright red
As soon as the man’s attention shifted, Karina acted without hesitation. She lifted her leg and delivered a sharp kick straight to his groin. The man immediately let go, doubling over in pain. Karina didn’t waste a second. She bolted for the door, grabbing anything within reach—a patient file, a water glass—and hurling them at him as she ran, not even pausing to aim. His curses and shouts echoed behind her as she escaped. Just as she darted out the door, she collided with what felt like a wall of solid muscle. Before she could react, large hands gripped her shoulders, holding her firmly in place. Karina didn’t look up. In her panic, she assumed it was one of the man’s accomplices. Terrified, she yelled, “No! Get away from me!” She tried to repeat her earlier tactic, but this time her attempt was blocked. Her heart sank in despair—until a familiar voice came from above her. “Why are you so shaken up? Did someone hurt you?” Karina froze, then looked up and saw Wil
But Karina still felt embarrassed. Noticing this, Wilfred stopped what he was doing, sat back in the driver’s seat, and fixed his gaze on her. In the light, his usually dark eyes softened to a deep, rich brown. His stare made Karina fidget, her heart pounding in her chest. She was certain her face was already bright red. “What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?” Wilfred’s lips curved into a faint smile, so subtle it was almost imperceptible. “If you really want to thank me, hurry up and write a proper thesis.” Thud!Karina’s heart skipped a beat, and any trace of excitement crashed and burned.She was momentarily speechless. How could someone constantly bring up writing a thesis? Wasn’t that the least romantic thing he could say? She completely forgot how flustered she had been moments earlier, unable to even meet Wilfred’s eyes. *Once the lawyer was arranged, the next step was filing a lawsuit with the court. This was beyond Karina’s scope, so she left ev
The woman didn’t mind at all. She knew very well that most people wouldn’t get involved in something like this. Karina’s willingness to help came from her kindness. Even if things didn’t work out, the woman wouldn’t hold it against her. Karina, however, felt a sense of responsibility. After confirming the meeting time with Wilfred, she took the day off, postponing all her work to focus on the matter. When the time came, Wilfred drove to pick her up. *At the café, a man stood and offered his hand. “Hello, Ms. Norman. I’m Attorney Jenkins from Birkham Law Firm. You can call me Jenkins.”Karina shook his hand with a polite smile. “Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. I appreciate you coming all the way from Birkham.”“It’s no trouble. I happened to be in Atlantis for another matter. Besides, when a friend asks for a favor, it’s not something I can refuse.” After a bit of small talk, the group sat down, and the conversation shifted to the case. Since Mr. Jenkins had only been give
“Dr. Norman… my life is so miserable. If I had known it would come to this, I’d rather have died than gotten married. What do I do now? If it were just me, I’d leave everything behind and disappear. But my daughter is only eight years old—she’s still so little,” the woman sobbed. Karina hesitated for a moment. “You do need to consider her…” Suddenly, she thought of Wilfred. Among her own connections, she didn’t know anyone in the legal field. But Wilfred might. Still, since she hadn’t asked him yet, she couldn’t promise anything. For now, she focused on calming both the mother and the child. The little girl was surprisingly mature for her age. At just eight years old and barely into elementary school, she didn’t fully understand the situation or what had been done to her. In her own innocent words, she said, “Daddy just played a little game with me. He said if I didn’t cry, I’d get a reward.” Even so, she understood that her mother was upset because of her. “Mommy,
After leaving the room, Karina quickly patted her cheeks, trying to calm herself down. At the very least, she couldn’t let anyone notice anything was off. “Dr. Norman?” someone called from behind her. She turned to see a woman she recognized as the family member of a former patient. Noticing the child in the woman’s arms, Karina’s expression immediately softened with concern. After a brief exchange, Karina learned that the child’s condition had flared up again. She led them back to her office and conducted a thorough examination. Five minutes later, she reviewed the results with a slight frown. “Her stomach and intestines seem fine. Can you tell me where exactly she’s feeling discomfort?” Karina asked, assuming the mother may have misunderstood or misspoken. But the woman hesitated, stammering nervously. Sensing something deeper was going on, Karina softened her tone. “It’s okay. This is a hospital—we’re here to help. There’s no need to hide anything. Just tell me wha
But Wilfred wouldn’t bother explaining. In fact, he thought it was better to let the misunderstanding linger. The nurse glanced at Karina, then back at Wilfred, her face twisting with humiliation before she turned and fled the room. Karina instinctively stepped aside, avoiding a collision. “For a moment there… I thought I was interrupting something,” she hesitated, her tone uncertain. She couldn’t deny the relief she felt after Wilfred’s firm stance. The suffocating feeling, like someone gripping her throat, had finally dissipated. Her breathing steadied, though a lingering bitterness remained in her chest. She couldn’t help but wonder why the nurse had acted that way. Wilfred looked at her briefly and explained, “I don’t know her. She knocked and let herself in. And not long after, you walked in.” Karina’s expression softened significantly. “Maybe it has something to do with the rumors going around the hospital recently.” Wilfred frowned. Though he said nothi