After speaking, Michelle glanced at Nina with a critical eye, from head to toe. She finally chuckled, "You're Nash's wife? Nina, even if you really can't handle it, you shouldn't have said such nonsense. Do you think I'll believe you?" Her eyes were full of disdain, showing complete disbelief in Nina's words. "If you are, then you would have handled the orphanage matter first thing, why would you need to come to me? You only came to beg me because you've hit a dead end. If you want my help, you need to say something convincing, not just spout nonsense. But I don't believe a word of it!"Nina thought to herself that since she and Nash's divorce was not finalized yet, she technically still was his wife. It would not hurt to tell Michelle. It was the easiest solution for her but Michelle did not believe her."If I help you, will you stop meddling in the orphanage affairs?" Nina pondered for a long time, reducing the potential loss to a minimum. The best-case scenario was helping Miche
"But you're still the one who will suffer the most from this," Angel could not help but feel indignant. "But there's nothing we can do. It's just that Michelle has connections. But with her capabilities, why doesn't she find someone else to connect her with Nash? Why make it so difficult for you?""She just wants to show me who is the boss, to let me know that in this department, no one can resist her!" Nina replied.Angel continued curiously, "Nina, earlier you said you're Nash's wife. Is that true?"Nina paused, setting aside her phone before responding, "Yes, but not for long."Let's go, we should head back," she said, rising with her bag in hand.Still bewildered, Angel tried to make sense of it all. She thought to herself, "It's like she said yes, but then she didn't. I don't quite understand the reason behind it."Nina did not elaborate further, and Angel decided not to press. They returned to the office.Michelle and her lackeys were already celebrating in advance."Mich
"I’m available at noon." Nina texted Nash and sent him an address directly.She also sent a message to Michelle, "Noon, twelve o'clock."Michelle received Nina's reply, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. She had already devised a plan to deal with this.---Meanwhile, Nash was in a good mood. Nina had taken the initiative to invite him out.It seemed like Nina had never earnestly invited him out before. Was she suddenly enlightened? Did she not want a divorce and plan to return?He thought that under only one circumstance would Nina's initiative be a good start: if she had realized her mistake and wanted to reconcile.She had grown accustomed to the life of a wealthy wife. How could she possibly adapt to living in such a small apartment?Nash pondered whether he should give her a hard time when they met, to let her know that divorcing was easy, but remarrying would be difficult. Then she would understand that no other man would treat her as well as he did, and she would
Now another person was implying that if he did not speak up, it would all end up being his problem in the end?"You go and drive over," said Nash. "We'll leave right away."--Nina sat in the car which was parked outside the restaurant. Michelle came over and knocked on the car window. "Is this the place?""Yeah," Nina said. "At twelve, Nash will be here on time.""Good," Michelle looked at Nina and said with a smile, "Rest assured, I'll remember your kindness. Once I become the chief editor, I won't let you keep typing forever.""Well, then you can go in," Nina told her the private room number.Michelle then walked into the restaurant.Nina's phone buzzed, and as she opened it, a smile crept onto her face. The orphanage matter had been settled. She looked in the direction Michelle had left, realizing Michelle did not have time to cause trouble for now. Immediately, she turned and headed towards the orphanage.Twenty minutes later, Nash's car arrived at the restaurant. He gl
With that sound, Michelle was startled, "Mr. York."Nash's cold gaze turned towards Michelle, "I'll ask again, where is Nina?"Michelle looked at the shattered wine glass on the floor, then at Nash's expression, and suddenly sobered up.She had not expected him to be so unfeeling, smashing the glass at the slightest provocation.Seeing Nash stand up, his face looking terrifying, Michelle hurriedly said, "Nina isn't here, it's just you and me."Nash's dangerous gaze grew even deeper, his voice cold, "Did she send the message asking to meet you?""Yes," Michelle did not understand his strong reaction and asked, "Nina is an old employee of York Corporation. If I couldn't get a hold of you, I asked Nina to figure it out. Since she could get you to come, I could discuss cooperation with you. In fact, Nina and I...""Get lost!" Nash became increasingly infuriated as he listened, roaring angrily.Michelle's face turned pale with fright, "Mr. York, I didn't lie to you, Nina and I are c
She had discussed it with the chief editor, who found it feasible. The chief editor even mentioned including the orphanage segment in the new variety show. However, if more sponsorship and investors could be secured, it could actually be developed into a reality show focusing on child development. Nina's initial goal was to provide the orphanage children with a new home. Even though she had limited abilities and could not ensure every child in the world lived comfortably, she was determined to do her best within her means."Thank you for this," Nina politely said. "You readily agreed to help me without hesitation, and I don't know how to thank you.""You're being too kind. You're also helping me, and I should thank you," Leonard said, leading Nina inside. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this. The orphanage children will be taken care of."As Nina entered, the children joyfully shouted, "Miss Walker!" and rushed towards her."Miss Walker, we have meat to eat again!""Miss Walker,
She tried to endure it for a while, thinking she could tough it out. But her nose was too sensitive, and she ended up retching directly. Leonard, in the midst of chatting with her, suddenly noticed her reaction and asked with concern, "Nina, are you okay?" Unable to hold back any longer, Nina covered her mouth and hurried to the bathroom. Seeing her symptoms, Leonard could not figure it out. Only pregnant women would have such a reaction, right? His expression changed constantly, and he followed her to the bathroom door.Nina vomited for quite some time. The morning sickness was getting stronger. After vomiting, Nina washed her face and walked out. Leonard handed her a tissue. Nina took it and said, "Thanks." Leonard asked, "Why are you vomiting so badly? Are you pregnant?" "Yes, you caught me," Nina admitted without hesitation. Leonard was very surprised. It had not been that long since he last saw Nina, and now she already had a child on the way. "Congratulations, I di
"Let him go!" Nina saw blood at the corner of Leonard's mouth and shouted loudly.She protected Leonard, which only fueled Nash's anger. He sneered, "So you care about him, huh? Let's see if I'll spare him!" and kicked him directly.Leonard did not even get a chance to speak before he was knocked to the ground again.Nina was shocked this time, quickly rushing to help Leonard up.Nash grabbed her, shouting again, "You dare to care about him!"Nina looked at Nash, furious, and shook off his hand. "You're unreasonable! Leonard is my new business partner!""Who would believe that?" Nash raised his voice. "He was just helping you, showing concern for your child. He even prepared things for pregnant women for you. If he's not the man, why would he care about you so much? Are you lying to me again?""When did I lie to you?""You didn't lie to me?" Nash's anger escalated. "You arranged the meeting with me, but you weren't there. What's going on with Michelle?"At this point, Nina cou
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