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
Nash realized that only one person had the potential to help. He looked at the increasingly frail Nina, knowing he could not afford to wait any longer."Stay here and keep an eye on her. I'm going to check something," Nash told Caleb before heading back to the apartment. Caleb, unsure of where Nash was heading, simply replied, "Okay."Nash knew that the kidnapping had left Nina harmed. Someone who could detect the poison so quickly and provide an antidote had to be extraordinary. He could not overlook any potential help.Nash arrived at the apartment and looked at the door next to Nina's. It was closed, and he knocked urgently. Within a minute, the door opened.Wilfred had been at home, seemingly expecting Nash. He showed no surprise and simply said, "Come in."Nash noticed Wilfred's pale complexion and weak body. "Did you give Nina those beads?"Wilfred poured a glass of water for Nash. "Those beads were originally hers."Nash's deep eyes fixed on Wilfred as he asked calmly,
Nash had heard of this name back in the military, but he could never track down the person."You've never seen him either?" Nash asked.Wilfred shook his head. "He's very secretive. He never shows himself to anyone. He's skilled in both virology and combat. That's all I know about him."Involving this criminal organization made things even more serious. It seemed that Nina might have been caught up in this long ago. This matched with her disappearance for an entire summer during high school, when a criminal gang was busted. Many were captured, and many died. Now, it seemed that one would be released soon, and this Pharaoh was still at large.Nash looked at Wilfred. "Aren't you afraid of the organization retaliating against you for telling me all this?"Wilfred smiled. "I've told you, my purpose for living is to protect her. Besides, I'm a healer. Creating a healer takes a lot of resources and effort. They won't harm me."Wilfred's willingness to risk his life for Nina surpris
Nina was feeling calmer now and she could see how much Nash had been worrying about her. Any hurtful words she had been holding back seemed to dissipate in this moment.She hugged Nash around the waist. "Let's not fight anymore. Let's talk things through calmly, okay?""Okay," Nash responded softly.Nina noticed something off. "Why just one word? Are you upset?""No," Nash said gently, stroking her face. "You've said we won't fight anymore. How could I be upset about that?"Nina gazed into his eyes. "What if you've lost faith in me and are planning to leave me? Then everything I've said would be pointless.""That's impossible," Nash reassured her. "We won't be separated.""You won't divorce me?" she asked.They had been arguing about this for a long time. She had often brought up divorce. But now, thinking about all that Nash had done for her, she realized things were not as bad as they seemed. She might never find another person like Nash, and their baby needed a father. G
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