Penelope looked up and met Nina's gaze. "You're going to help me?"Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, she had seen her fair share of good, bad, and treacherous people. She was not one to easily trust anyone. But Nina was an exception. Penelope could see that Nina had a good heart. It was thanks to Nina's help that her short videos had gained traction. But in the entertainment industry, talent alone was not enough."Nina, it's not that I don't trust you, but I know the rules of this game all too well." Penelope hesitated and then added, "I know your relationship with Nash isn't simple. Even though it's not public, those who know you both would suspect that you're his mysterious wife."Nina did not deny it. "I am."Penelope smiled. "Well, you've kept it well hidden. Who would have thought that Nash's secretary is actually his wife?"But you should know that Miranda is part of Nash's company, as is that newcomer. If you help me, it means you're going again
After parting ways with Penelope, Nina sprang into action. She called Angel again."Write an article saying that Penelope's role was stolen by someone who brought financial backing, and that it's all being manipulated by powerful interests," Nina instructed.Angel was taken aback. "Are you sure? That newcomer is from your husband's company."She was worried about the potential repercussions for Nash. They could not afford to offend him.Nina was beyond caring about such concerns. In business, competition was inevitable, even between husband and wife. "Just write it. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility.""Alright," Angel said. "But if Mr. York asks about it, don't blame me.""I won't. This is fair competition."Angel was still puzzled. "You're helping Penelope so much. Did you two make some kind of deal?""Yes," Nina confirmed.They were now on the same team. Penelope's success and failure were tied to her. It was as if Nina had become Penelope's manager, and she coul
Nash met her gaze, understanding that she was giving him a heads-up. He chose to take a step back. "Penelope isn't one of our company's artists. If you're really interested, I can find some people to help you."Their conversation seemed to be on different wavelengths. Nash probably thought she was just dabbling in this out of curiosity, and that she would eventually lose interest and let it go. But Nina was determined. Once she set her mind to something, she would not stop until it was done well.She could not accept Nash's proposal. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Let's keep personal matters separate from business. My relationship with Penelope doesn't need your intervention."Nash asked, "Do you really need to team up with her?""I believe in her potential.""Are you sure this isn't just about having a problem with Miranda?" Nash pressed further.Nina hesitated, considering that her multiple kidnappings might have been orchestrated by Miranda. She was not sure wheth
The newcomer indeed came from a wealthy family. She had a close relationship with Miranda and had previously played a minor role in one of Miranda's dramas. Replacing Penelope with this girl was nothing short of an insult. Nina had already hinted to Penelope that when the news broke, she needed to create some buzz herself, even if it was just a temporary uproar. At least it would give the public something to talk about.Previously, Penelope would not have stooped to such tactics, which was why she quickly faded from the spotlight. Besides acting, she was not good at marketing herself. But now, Penelope had ended up in the hospital. People believed she was so upset by being replaced by the newcomer that she fell ill, which only fueled the public's outrage.Given Penelope's history of quietly enduring such slights, the internet exploded in her defense. While not everyone would cheer for success, many would speak up for the underdog. This created a wave of public pressure on the
Bella was not strong enough to handle the immense pressure of playing the lead role. She could already imagine the backlash when the show aired, with people criticizing her."Miranda, why don't you take the role instead?" Bella, once so confident, now felt deeply insecure. "If you play the role, no one will have anything to say!"Miranda grew angry. "Are you comparing me to Penelope?"Bella shrank back even more. "No, I know how amazing you are. You could play the lead role right from the start, and you’re definitely better than Penelope."Miranda liked hearing that. Controlling her anger, she asked, "How do you know about that reporter? Did you see them together?""The article was written by someone from Starry Sky TV station," Bella speculated. "That reporter must be involved."Miranda suspected the same but had not expected Nina to undermine her like this. Was Nina trying to declare war on her? But right now, Miranda did not have the energy for this battle. She could not und
Nina suddenly felt a wave of pity for Penelope. Growing up without parental love must have left her with a deep sense of insecurity, making her more likely to endure hardships silently. Unable to help herself, Nina linked her arm with Penelope's. "It's all in the past. Things will get better from now on. One day, you'll reach the pinnacle of your career."Penelope smiled. "You have high hopes for me.""If you could endure so much from a young age, there's nothing you can't achieve."Penelope felt a growing fondness for Nina. Perhaps it was the encouragement that stirred a renewed determination within her. She could not go back to the past. She had to escape poverty and hunger.Just then, Miranda arrived. She spotted Penelope and Nina together. Seeing Nina walking around energetically, showing no signs of weakness, confused her. But her sharp eyes noticed the beads on Nina's wrist, and her expression changed. She rushed over and grabbed Nina's arm."Where did you get these?" Mi
Seeing so many onlookers and Penelope looking so fragile, Miranda panicked. "Stop recording! She's faking it! I didn't touch her. She ran into me! I was just defending myself!"Nina quickly helped Penelope up and said, "You've already gotten everything you wanted. Why do you still bully her? Will you only be satisfied if she leaves the industry?""What nonsense are you spouting?" Miranda retorted, flustered by Nina's words.With so many people around, Miranda could not find a way to explain herself. She had been too careless. She had not expected them to change and become so cunning, daring to plot against her."You'll pay for this!" Miranda snapped before hastily leaving to avoid drawing more attention.After she left, Nina helped Penelope inside. To make it believable, Penelope clung to Nina's hand, but then she noticed something odd. "Does Miranda have such a strong grip? Your arm is bruised."Nina followed her gaze and saw the bruise on her arm. It was faint and not painful.
He quickly picked her up and rushed to find a doctor. Nina was taken into the emergency room, where the doctors began to examine her. Nash stood outside, feeling anxious. His deep eyes were fixed on her silhouette, unable to relax as his palms grew sweaty with worry. He could sense something was seriously wrong with Nina.After about ten minutes, the doctor came out and spoke to Nash. "I couldn't find anything wrong with the patient. All her tests came back healthy. There's no clear reason for her sudden fainting. However, I did notice several bruises on her body, which appeared rather suspicious. Also, there was a needle mark on the back of her neck."Hearing this made Nash's expression grow even grimmer. Not finding any symptoms was the most dangerous sign. He went into the room and looked at Nina's thin face. She had lost a lot of weight recently. Pregnancy was already hard on her, and now there were these additional symptoms. He could not help but feel a pang of sorrow.Nash
Caleb organized the medications and explained everything meticulously. "These are oral meds, three times a day after meals," he said.Caleb noticed that Ben’s eyes were fixed on Jamie. At that moment, his face was filled with worry and urgency."It's just a fever," Caleb reassured. "The shot's been given, the IV is running, and the meds are sorted. What else is there to worry about? I'll write out the steps for the IV change—"Before Caleb could finish his sentence, Ben shot him a sharp look that cut him off immediately.Fine, Caleb thought, throwing his hands up mentally. He would stay until the IV was done. Better that than risk being bombarded with Ben’s relentless calls later if anything went wrong. Caleb simply wasn’t up for that kind of torture.Although Jamie on the bed hadn’t woken up, Caleb didn’t want to stick around any longer. He had no interest in watching Ben fuss over her like some lovesick fool.Not long after Caleb left, Jamie stirred. Seeing Ben sitting by her b
Jamie was in a terrible state. Her injuries from shielding Ben during the stabbing incident hadn’t healed, and now, thanks to Summer’s scheming, she had developed a fever soaring to a dangerous 104 degrees Fahrenheit.Lying in bed, delirious and motionless, Jamie didn’t even realize how bad things had gotten. When the housekeeper came to deliver her meal and saw her lying there unresponsive, panic took over.“Mr. Lucas, Miss Lewis looks like she’s dead!” the housekeeper stammered, trembling with fear.“What did you just say?” Ben shot up from his chair, his piercing gaze locking onto the housekeeper. The housekeeper could barely meet his eyes, shrinking under the intensity of his glare. Ben had never looked so alarmed, his usual composure replaced by a pale, stricken expression.Without waiting for further explanation, Ben bolted out of his study, stumbling as he rushed down the hallway. When he finally reached Jamie’s room, he found her lying in bed, breathing heavily, her face
The woman had deliberately spoken in a vague and ambiguous way. She had been sent by Summer, with Mrs. Lucas's covert assistance. Together, they had schemed to place a helper in the villa with a simple enough task with their combined influence. But to Jamie, the words carried a different implication. This was Lucas’s territory, which meant this woman had likely been instructed by Ben. If Jamie didn’t drink the soup, she was certain Ben wouldn’t let it slide. A wave of bitterness washed over her. “Fine, just leave it over there. I’ll drink it later when I’m thirsty.” “Miss Lewis, I need to personally see you finish the soup before I can leave. If you’re not ready to drink it now, that’s no problem. I’ll just wait here.” The woman placed the tray on the table, pulled a chair over, and sat directly in front of Jamie. Her stare was unrelenting, her attitude clear. She wasn’t leaving until the job was done. If it had been anyone else in Jamie’s place, the woman wouldn’t da
“Don’t beg me. If begging worked, I’d have begged Ben not to leave a long time ago,” Winnie said as she wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Here’s the deal. I called to make one thing clear. Everything you owe me, I’m going to take back, bit by bit, through Charlie. He’s your son, and they say the sins of the mother fall on the child.” With that biting remark, Winnie hung up without hesitation.Clutching her phone, her chest ached with a deep, lingering pain. The masked man approached, standing by her side. “Winnie, what’s the point of all this? You’re clearly full of hate for Jamie, but instead of taking it out on her, you’re here looking after her kid. I don’t get you sometimes.“If it were me,” he continued, “I’d grab this opportunity and make her suffer. Why are you holding back?”Winnie shook her head. “Charlie calls me his aunt, and besides, it’s not right to blame a child for the mistakes of adults.”She might despise Jamie, but Winnie couldn’t bring herself
On the day of the engagement banquet, Ben’s phone appearing near Jamie should have been a warning sign, but she missed it. Later, she had warmly welcomed Jamie into her home, showering her with care. She had even worried that Ben might dislike Jamie and tried to help them get along. And what happened in the end? While she had been tirelessly caring for them, the two of them ended up in bed together. Now, they were living under the same roof, while she and her child were left with nothing. How could Winnie not harbor resentment? Especially when she looked at Charlie, a chilling thought crept into her mind: If her own child’s life was ruined because of Jamie, then shouldn’t she retaliate by ruining Jamie’s child? An eye for an eye. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Every time Charlie called her "Aunt Winnie" with such innocence, it reminded her of the bond between them. How could she be so heartless? “I’m in Ben’s villa. He won’t let me leave,” Jamie
Ben gripped Jamie's chin tightly, his voice firm and unyielding. When Jamie had disappeared from his life, he had exhausted every possible means, called in countless favors, and poured his energy into finding her. But he had failed. Just when he was on the verge of giving up, he had met Winnie. It felt like fate had stepped in, intertwining their paths once more, as if destined for a lifetime of entangled love and hate. If that was his reality, then he would play along with it.“Instead of plotting ways to escape from me, why don’t you focus on apologizing? Show me some sincerity, and maybe I’ll make your life a little easier,” Ben said.Jamie’s lips curved into a bitter smile. She knew what he wanted.He wanted an apology and an attitude of remorse. But she also knew she had no leverage to stay by his side.Even if she played along now, making him happy temporarily, there was no future for them. Mrs. Lucas’s disdain for her was an insurmountable mountain, and she couldn’t see
Unfortunately, Ben couldn’t see through any of this. Summer, however, wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Shaking her head confidently, she said, “I’ve never done anything to upset him. I don’t believe that just exchanging a few words with him would make him kick me out.”Mrs. Lucas opened her mouth, about to say something, but seeing Summer’s confident demeanor, she hesitated. Maybe, just maybe, Ben might actually feel too awkward to reject her outright. And if a little covert manipulation were added into the mix…Suddenly, Mrs. Lucas had an idea. Hearing it, Summer’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Mrs. Lucas, that’s an excellent plan! We should act quickly before he does anything else irrational.” “Alright.” Though the plan was solid, the two of them decided to put it into action three days later. Meanwhile, Ben hadn’t been to the office lately, but he was still keeping track of all the firm’s cases. He was also trying to reach Winnie, but while her phone would ring,
Ben wanted nothing more than to wring Jamie's neck after hearing her cold, cutting words. “I don’t need your lectures,” he growled. Human nature? Didn’t she think he knew enough about it already? He had seen it in every case he handled, and he had learned it the hardest way through her betrayal. When he fell for Jamie, it had been with the intent to marry her, to share a future. But she had stabbed him in the back without hesitation. And yet, when he tried to hate her, tried to wish for her downfall, he couldn’t bring himself to follow through. “Stay here and reflect on your actions, Jamie.” Ben knew her well enough. If she cried, begged for forgiveness, he would soften. But she didn’t. Instead, all she cared about was that child, the child he refused to acknowledge. “Fine,” he thought grimly. “Let’s see how long that bastard can survive.”*Meanwhile, Ben’s mother, Mrs. Lucas, had failed to convince him to cut ties with Jamie. This left her in a tough spot, especial
Ben would never believe the truth, and his mother would never allow Charlie’s existence. Instead of creating chaos and an irreparable fallout, Jamie chose to keep it hidden. She thought that once Ben’s anger subsided, he would eventually let her go.“Even if you figure out who the father is, what difference does it make?” Jamie met Ben’s intense gaze calmly. “We’ve already said everything that needed to be said. Can’t we stop making each other’s lives miserable?”"Your mother offered so much money. Why wouldn’t I take it? I’m not a fool. I gave you up for one million before. After these past four years, do you really think there’s any love left between us? Do you honestly expect me to cry and beg for you?”Jamie’s voice was steady as she stared calmly at Ben. She had been scared at first, but over time, she had come to terms with her reality. Ben wasn’t going to kill her. And as long as she stayed alive, there would eventually come a day when he’d let her go. Right now, his anger wa