After he left, there were only desperate cries inside. Nina had a long dream where a demon was chasing her. She wanted to run but couldn't move. Overwhelming fear enveloped her, making it hard to breathe, as if she was about to die. She sobbed, tears still streaming down her face. Nash saw this and wiped the tears from her eyes. Nina had a high fever. Taylor cried on the side. She had wanted to call for help but encountered Nash at the door. Luckily, he arrived in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable. She cried, "Mr. York, it's all my fault. I didn't take care of Nina properly. She has a fever. Let's take her to the hospital." At this moment, Nash was very indifferent, like a block of ice, devoid of any compassion. He simply said, "No need, Quincy, take her home!"With that, Nash carried Nina into the car and left.Meanwhile, Taylor continued to blame herself incessantly, crying uncontrollably. Quincy advised, "Stop crying, let's go home. With Mr. Yor
Opening the bathroom door, Nash saw Nina sitting in the bathtub, vigorously rubbing her body, not making a sound, fearing he might hear her. "Nina, stop!" He hurried over and grabbed her hands that were hurting herself. Nina's eyes were red, caught by him, just avoiding him, struggling hard. "Don't touch me, I'm dirty...""You're not dirty," Nash said softly, wrapping his arms around her body to prevent her from hurting herself. "You're not dirty at all."All Nina could think of was the image of being pressed against the table, feeling nauseous all over. Even a slight touch from Nash made her feel unclean. She shook her head. "Stop comforting me. I know I'm dirty. I even feel disgusted with myself!"Nina continued rubbing her reddened body."Nina."No matter how Nash called out, Nina couldn't hear him. She washed every inch of her body, muttering repeatedly, "I'm dirty, I need to clean myself."I..." Nina repeated the same words, but suddenly stopped, her mouth trembling, her
Nina wrapped her arms around his neck, "I want you to stay with me.""I won't go anywhere," Nash caressed her cheek, "Your skin is all red. When you sleep, try not to move too much to avoid aggravating your wounds, okay?"Looking at him, Nina finally understood how it felt for Miranda to show vulnerability to him.The crying baby gets the milk. She showed a bit of vulnerability, and Nash was indeed very gentle with her."Okay," Nina reluctantly let go of his hands.Nash tucked her in and sat on the edge of the bed, "Are you feeling cold?"Nina shook her head, "No, I'm not.""You have a slight fever," Nash said with concern, "Let me cool you down with a towel.""Okay, you're so good to me," Nina looked at him, speaking from her heart.Nash smiled, pinching her nose. Nina didn't flinch, just gazed at him affectionately, wanting to remember his kindness forever.However, Nash said, "Little girl, don't easily praise others."He added some ice to a towel and placed it on her fore
Taylor said, "It's not like that at all. I barely made it back in time. It just happened that I ran into Mr. York rushing over. Nina, Mr. York seems to have a sixth sense. I could tell he was really worried about you."As she spoke, Taylor found it strange and continued, "Nina, you wouldn't believe it. When Mr. York arrived at the scene, he was like a completely different person. He completely lost his temper, took down Mr. Lincoln, and even got into a scuffle with those involved. Mr. York was furious, held you close, and wouldn't let anyone near you."Taylor's words made Nina pause for a moment. She picked up a nearby glass of water and took a sip."Nina, does Mr. York care so much about his subordinates? I've never seen it before. If it were me injured, would he care like this?" Taylor seemed perplexed, as if she was searching for something, murmuring to herself, "Even for subordinates who have been by his side for so many years, he's never shown this level of concern. Nina, could
"You guys just don't get it, do you? Nina's aiming to climb the social ladder. She's Mr. York's secretary, but she can't secure the role of his official wife. Over the years, she's probably considered finding another route. Banking on her looks, she's aiming to become Mr. Lincoln's lover. Perhaps she couldn't even pull that off, so she went ahead and falsely accused Mr. Lincoln of rape, ruining him in the process. He could even wind up behind bars!""I always thought Nina was so kind, but it turns out she's quite cunning. Just look at how she's made Mr. Lincoln suffer. It's no surprise she's always hovering around Mr. York; she's probably schemed her way into that position!""Hmph, you guys are just realizing Nina isn’t as simple as she seems? I figured that out long ago. Look around—among the company's early employees, who isn't more capable than Nina? Our manager, Paris, has the skills and experience, far exceeding Nina's. But just because Nina relies on her flirtatious charm to se
Mabel had no chance to resist, her face flushed red as she screamed in agony. She had never experienced such humiliation before, and she was absolutely livid!Nina spoke icily, "If I hadn't hit you, you wouldn't even know how to survive at York Corporation."“Nina, who do you think you are to lay hands on me?"The commotion attracted a crowd, and when Paris rushed over, she found her subordinate being slapped by Nina. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she pulled them apart.Nina's action of slapping her subordinate was akin to slapping Paris's own face.Seeing help arrive, Mabel burst into tears, "Paris!"She ran to Paris, covering her face, "She hit me, it's too much!"Paris pulled Mabel behind her, seething with anger. "You've completely lost your mind, becoming more arrogant by the day. Do you think York Corporation belongs to your family, that everyone should listen to you? And hitting someone, completely disregarding me!"Nina felt her hand stinging from the impact and shoo
While the drama unfolded, bystanders couldn't help but sympathize with Nina. Being just a secretary, her authority paled in comparison to the vice president's, so trouble was inevitable for her!Soon enough, the vice president, distressed for his niece, hurried over with Mabel, demanding answers, "Who, who dared to bully my dear niece?"Mabel pointed at Nina in the pantry, "It's her, she hit me, Uncle. No one has ever hit me from childhood till now!"Paris, watching from the sidelines, played the role of the pitiful good person, "Mr. Green, I'm truly sorry. I couldn't take care of Mabel properly. My influence in this office is just too limited."Her words also implied to the vice president that she and Nina were on equal footing, but she was being unfairly oppressed.Nina was too audacious in this office.The vice president had long heard about Nina's bad reputation, but since she was close to Mr. York, he hadn't intervened. Now that it affected his family, he wouldn't let it sli
Nash walked in from outside, followed by a group of people. His imposing presence exuded a cold aura, keeping people at bay. Paris had been planning to thoroughly deal with Nina, leaving her no chance to turn the tables, but Nash happened to return. Her hand paused mid-air, reconsidering how to punish Nina.The moment Nash arrived, she felt a sense of fear and refrained from delivering the slap. "Mr. York!" People in the office cleared a path as Nash approached. Surveying the chaotic scene and the suppressed Nina, his brows furrowed, his expression icy. His gaze swept around the room. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought this isn't my company, but your territory, Mr. Green."Mr. Green's expression shifted, his arrogance diminished by Nash's words. He could only respond cordially, "No, that's not the case, Mr. York. It's just that my niece was hit by Nina. She's cherished in our Green family, and no one has ever laid a hand on her before. She's endured so
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