She clung tightly to Nash's clothes, too afraid to look back, fearing the worst.Then she heard Nash's deep voice in her ear, "It's okay. Don't be afraid. We'll be safe soon."His words gave Nina the strength to hold on."As long as you're okay, that's good!" Nina said frantically."Captain York!" the man in the camouflage uniform shouted anxiously.During the gunfight, they had been blocked and could not move forward. Only Nash had made it through.They tried to cover him as best they could but did not know his exact situation.They were worried about whether Nash had been injured.Nash handed Nina over to them and said, "Let's get out of here first!"They could not stay there any longer.Sawyer and his group decided to retreat as well, knowing that prolonged chaos would attract more attention.Several vehicles kicked up dust as they sped away.Nina and Nash's group got into their vehicles as well.Nina sat in the car, feeling safe now, but her heart was still racing.Ev
"It won't happen," Nash said, panting and wincing in pain. "I won't die. If I die, who will protect you? So, I won't die."Nina could not bear to hear such words, and she cried even harder.Nash, with a gentle look in his eyes, patted her back to calm her down.He was afraid, too. He was afraid of dying, afraid of leaving her alone. If something like this happened again, who would protect her? He also feared that the so-called Zac would come to take her away or deceive her. He worried she might get hurt or fall for another man.His possessiveness made him worry about these things, though he knew he would be ridiculed if he admitted it.Nash's lips curved into a bitter smile.Nina wiped her tears away, though she could not stop herself from crying. It was not the time for tears.Her eyes, red from crying, locked onto his. "It's a promise then. I believe you."She found no other way to comfort herself.Nash stared at her with a smile, not a bitter one this time, but one of
Yvonne furrowed her brows and said sternly, "Have you lost your mind? What do you mean by self-protection? Can you match a man in strength? Do you have superhuman martial arts skills? Be realistic. You're not a superhero. You're a woman, and a pregnant one at that. Blaming yourself won't solve anything while the real criminals are still out there. Pressuring yourself with guilt won't fix the problem!"Nina blamed herself for being too weak, while so many people wanted her dead. She felt powerless and guilty for putting others at risk.Yvonne's words made sense. No matter how upset she was, the real criminals were still free.Nina hugged Yvonne, leaning on her shoulder. "I'm scared. I feel like this isn't just a simple kidnapping. I can't fight them!"She had felt this fear in the trunk. The experience had put immense physical and mental pressure on her.Yvonne's expression softened, and she gently comforted Nina. "Don't be afraid. I'll be by your side, and we'll face and solve thi
As her superior, Sawyer was sipping tea, indifferent to Scarlett's fate. It was only when she collapsed that he put down his teacup and fixed his sharp gaze on her. "Are you trying to let that woman go on purpose?"Scarlett lay on the ground, her eyes open as she struggled to crawl towards him. "I didn't..."Sawyer said, "You were clearly about to throw her off, but you hesitated. I have to suspect that you're having second thoughts."Scarlett's face was pale and she looked disheveled. She grabbed the bottom of his pants with all her strength. "She grabbed my hand. I tried to throw her, but I couldn't. Please forgive me this time. I promise I won't fail again!"Without mercy, Sawyer kicked her away.Scarlett groaned in pain, the taste of blood heavy in her mouth, making her nauseous. But what she wanted now was to survive. "In the end, the plan worked out. Your target was the man, and he's been shot. He's at death's door. I've done my part."At this, Sawyer walked over to her and
Sawyer's anger subsided as he met Wilfred's gaze, narrowing his eyes slightly. "That depends on your sincerity."Seeing this, Scarlett turned pale. "Wilfred knows nothing about my plan. He had no idea. Please, spare him this time."Sawyer reached for Wilfred's hand, but Wilfred withdrew it. Wilfred then said meaningfully, "Let's have a drink tonight."All of Sawyer's rage dissipated, and he smiled. "Alright, I'll be waiting."With that, Sawyer let Scarlett go and left with his men.Scarlett struggled to her feet, despite her body being covered in whip marks. She endured the pain and, with urgency in her voice, said, "You're insane! Don't you know he's a pervert? Going there is a death sentence!"Now, it was just the two of them.Wilfred's gaze shifted to Scarlett, and he used a disinfecting wipe to clean the hand that had touched Sawyer's face. A flicker of disgust appeared in his eyes.He despised it, but there was no escape."Don't worry," Wilfred said calmly.Scarlett in
Wilfred looked at her with a gentle smile, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. Why did his sadness affect her so deeply? She recalled the harsh words she had said before, realizing they might have hurt him. Suddenly, she understood that Wilfred likely would not harm her. Perhaps he had his own reasons.She wanted to cross the street to reach him, but she had to wait for the light to turn green. As cars passed by, her eyes followed Wilfred, hoping he would not leave before she could get to him.When the light finally changed, Nina hurried across the street. But when she reached the other side, Wilfred was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she found a basket of freshly picked strawberries on the sidewalk.Nina stood there, stunned. She picked up the basket and looked around, calling out, "Wilfred! Come out, I need to talk to you! Why are you hiding from me?"She was so close to getting answers, but he had vanished, leaving behind a basket of strawberries. What did this mean
Miranda saw Nash through the glass window. He looked like he was barely hanging on. She grabbed the man in the camouflage uniform, her eyes red with anxiety. "How is he? Is he seriously injured? How did he get hurt so badly, and when will he wake up?""I don't know," the man in the camouflage uniform replied. "But miss, this is a quiet zone. If you want to wait for Captain York to wake up, you need to do so quietly.""How did he get hurt and end up in the ICU?" Miranda said anxiously. "Will he die?"She was clearly frightened.Yvonne, seeing her panic, could not help but say, "Why is she so worked up? She's not his wife! And how does she know Nash was injured? Could she be the one behind your kidnapping?"Nina had already suspected something when Miranda asked about Nash. It had only been a few hours since he was shot and admitted to the ICU, and no one had been informed. How did Miranda know? Unless she was in cahoots with them. Just from that information, Nina was alread
Miranda's gaze at Nina was incredibly fierce, as if declaring war. She was silently saying that she would not let her off easily! Nina had never seen such a gaze before, and it was clear that even Miranda felt some pressure.No longer willing to give Miranda any face, Nina said, "Miss Miranda, you've seen him and made your scene. Please leave now. You don't need to worry about when my husband will wake up!"Miranda was even more reluctant to leave. "Nina, who do you think you are? You’re nothing but an abandoned wife!""I'm his wife. He risked his life to save me. You have no right to be here!" Nina retorted sharply. "Escort her out!""You..." Miranda seethed with anger.But the man in the camouflage uniform followed Nina's orders. They all knew Nash had been injured saving Nina, and she was rightfully his wife."Miss, please leave. Otherwise, we’ll have to force you out."Seeing the group of tall, muscular men armed and ready, Miranda knew she could not win this fight. She gl
And just like that, the conversation fell into a brief silence. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hunter received a call from Yelena. “What did you just say?” Yelena told him that her hand was broken, and on top of that, Liam seemed to be getting suspicious. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she called Hunter for advice. “I don’t really care what happens to you, but at the very least, take care of yourself.“Otherwise, if something else goes wrong later, I’ll have to step in and clean up the mess. Don’t you think so?” Hearing this, Yelena was a little taken aback. “It’s not just about my injury. The real problem is, I’m scared of what he might do now.” Sure, she had taken the two hundred thousand dollars, but she had to stay alive to spend it. At this rate, she wouldn’t even make it through in one piece. “I already told you—protect yourself. If you need anything else, I’ll try to provide it. But right now, I need you to do something for me.” Hunter had been look
“Yes, it’s in that mountain area. If you’re worried, you can go check it out yourself. But as for anything else, we don’t really have much more information.”Compared to everything else, this was the most baffling situation.“You make a good point. But given the current circumstances, I think it’ll be difficult to pull off.”Vera was speaking with the private investigator. Deep down, she was more worried than anything else.“Don’t worry,” the private investigator reassured her. “Aside from what we discussed earlier, nothing else seems too extreme. Plus, we’ve already looked into it pretty thoroughly.”By the time he finished speaking, his expression had grown more complicated.“Alright. I understand.”After hanging up, she anxiously looked straight ahead. If she had been mentally prepared before, now she was starting to feel uneasy. “What’s going on?” Caleb asked while driving, glancing at her. Vera hesitated, debating whether to tell him or not. But seeing the strange
“I only had one surgery today,” Caleb said as he drove, his voice calm but firm. “Now that it’s done, I want to know why this happened.” After that, he said nothing more. Vera sat in silence, her heart uneasy as the car pulled up in front of an upscale club. Even though her hand was already bandaged, she still felt a sting of pain every time Caleb showed concern. “So this is what it feels like to have someone care,” she thought to herself.Back when Vera had been stepped on, her only concern had been the contract—whether the deal would fall apart and if her suffering had been for nothing.If it had been anything else, she probably wouldn’t have cared as much.But Caleb’s concern made it impossible for her to brush aside.It kept lingering in her mind, refusing to let her feel indifferent.“Don’t overthink it,” Caleb said, his voice firm. “Whatever happened between Luna and me doesn’t change the fact that this concerns me too—and I owe it to you to make things right.”
“Oh? So this is the apology you wanted?” Vera’s forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain, but the two women standing over her barely reacted. As if this was normal to them. As if humiliating her was just another game. “I asked you a question.” Vera remained half-crouched on the ground, her hand still pinned under Luna’s heel. Helena smirked. “Yeah, I’d say that’s good enough.” She hadn’t expected Vera to be this stubborn, but it didn’t matter. With an exaggerated sigh, she casually scribbled her signature onto the contract. The deal was officially secured. Vera didn’t waste another second. She cast one last glance at the two women. “I have no interest in getting involved in your personal drama. As for Caleb and me, that’s between us. We both made our choices.” Luna’s expression twisted slightly. “I won’t bother commenting on your relationship,” she said, voice dripping with disdain. “But don’t think for a second that this will ever earn
The moment Vera heard her assistant’s words, her expression darkened. Her previously calm tone turned firm. “If that’s the case, I understand. But I still have to go. This is my responsibility, and no one else can handle it.” If she didn’t take the lead, the other party would only grow bolder. However, the moment she glanced at the name on the negotiation list, she couldn’t help but frown. Because the person she was supposed to meet wasn’t just anyone. It was Helena Xander. Vera had encountered her before—back when her relationship with Caleb hadn’t yet escalated. Even then, Helena had openly mocked her, saying that since Caleb had been Luna’s devoted lapdog for years, he should know his place and never overstep. She had also thrown a few sharp words at Vera, telling her to recognize her own status—as if warning her that getting involved would only bring trouble. Back then, Vera hadn’t taken it seriously. She never thought she would cross paths with the
“Alright, enough of this. If you’re serious about investigating, you’ll need proper psychological evaluations,” Caleb said nonchalantly.“The best way to assess something like this is through clinical observation—watch for behavioral inconsistencies, memory gaps, or personality shifts. If you can, gather video footage of his daily life. That’s the only way to get a clearer picture. Otherwise, it’s just speculation.”Caleb made the remark casually, then swiftly issued a dismissal.“You came all the way here just to mess with me? What about your own situation? How’s that going?” Caleb’s sarcasm was dry and pointed. Hunter let out a long sigh. “What else could it be? Business as usual. Compared to others, I’m probably the only one with enough patience for this mess.” He was, of course, referring to his ongoing battle with Liam. Caleb gave him a small nod. “Alright, you should get going now. I need to rest. Don’t loiter around here.” Without hesitation, he waved his hand
Vera forced an awkward smile at Hunter before quickly retreating back into the bathroom to change. Hunter, watching her leave, couldn't help but smirk. “You’re really living the good life, huh?” he teased. “Didn’t expect you to have such luck.” Caleb rolled his eyes, clearly uninterested. “Enough with the nonsense. Why are you here? And who exactly were you talking about over the phone?” He didn’t want to entertain pointless banter, especially not about women. If he was being honest, even he couldn’t fully explain his feelings toward Luna. He wasn’t sure what was left between them—was it love, or just the remnants of something that had long turned sour? That pitiful look in her eyes earlier had shaken him. For a fleeting moment, he had wanted to pull her into his arms, to comfort her like he used to. But after so many years of being humiliated and pushed aside, he had forgotten how to even speak to her anymore. So instead, he did what was easiest—he change
Hunter spoke casually, his tone light. “Just someone, that’s all. Do you really need all these details?” Caleb was now certain of his suspicion. “Hunter, did you forget what I do for a living? I’m a doctor. If you’re asking me about this, I need to get a clear picture before I can give you an answer.” Hunter exhaled lightly. “That’s fair, but some things can’t be diagnosed right away.” Based on the information Yelena provided earlier, Hunter was only speculating about Liam. But Caleb was an expert in this area, so he specifically called to ask him.Still, explaining everything over the phone wasn’t going to work. “Forget it,” Hunter said. “This isn’t something I can explain over a call. Where are you? I’ll come over.” Caleb hesitated for a moment before glancing at Vera, who was still beside him. In the end, he gave Hunter the address to his villa. Hunter chuckled. “Haha. I’m surprised. You actually do go home to rest.” Caleb ignored the jab and tossed his p
“Call me Liam.” Before Yelena could finish speaking, Liam cut her off with a sharp, angry voice. She quickly nodded and corrected herself. “Liam, don’t worry. I’ll do exactly as you say. I’ll be good. I won’t make you angry again.” But Liam didn’t care. With a violent shove, he threw her to the ground. Yelena barely had time to brace herself before hitting the cold floor hard, pain radiating through her limbs. Liam, however, just looked down at her with a twisted grin, laughing like she was nothing more than a ridiculous joke. “You’d better learn fast,” he sneered. “And leave your hand broken for a few days—feel the pain properly.” “Alright.” Her voice was quiet, submissive. But Liam wasn’t listening. Without another glance, he turned and walked away. As she watched his retreating figure, Yelena felt a deep sense of dread rise in her throat. Liam wasn’t human. He was something far worse. Her future with him would be nothing short of hell.