"No regrets," Nina replied. "I just never imagined I'd be in this position. I used to be just a secretary, and now I'm making a huge gamble with ten million. It's enough to scare anyone!"Penelope put her arm around Nina’s shoulder. "You're my biggest investor now. I'll be counting on you!""Don't say that!" Nina said. "The hard work is just beginning. We'll only be able to relax once the drama airs and gets good feedback. Otherwise, we'll be in big trouble. We have to win this time!"Penelope knew she was making a huge gamble just like Nina. The stakes were high, and this project could make or break them. She did not know why she felt compelled to take such a risky path. Perhaps it was Nina's determination that inspired her. It ignited a fire in her, driving her to aim for the top. She was no longer just Penelope from a small town. She was aiming to become Queen Penelope.A confident smile tugged at Penelope's lips. "We can only win, no room for failure!"Back at the office,
Wilfred was always decisive and had no intention of letting Scott go. However, he hesitated, considering whether Scott’s words were trustworthy and if he could be a reliable ally. Their struggle made a lot of noise in the room.Feeling somewhat better, Nina woke up and saw them grappling with each other. "What are you two doing?" she asked.With his back to Nina, Wilfred blocked Scott from view, preventing her from seeing the fight. She had no idea they were actually in a confrontation."Scott?" Nina called out, having glimpsed his figure.Hearing her, Wilfred released Scott and quickly hid the scalpel. Scott, understanding the situation, smiled as if nothing had happened. "Nina, you're awake."Nina sat up. "Why are you here?"Scott, holding the gifts he brought for her, replied, "I came back from a business trip and didn't find you at home. I guessed you might still be at work, so I came by. Here, these are for you."He handed her a champagne rose and a box of chocolates.
"Where is it?" Scott continued to ask.Wilfred hesitated before finally responding, "Do you know the Nile organization?"Scott's expression tightened. "Isn't that a terrorist organization? It was supposed to have been eradicated years ago. How could...""It wasn't," Wilfred said, his eyes darkening. "I was one of them."Scott fell silent, recalling the time Nina was kidnapped. He looked at Wilfred again. "Is Nina being targeted by this organization?"Wilfred looked down. "I don't think so.""Nash and Miranda's scandal, could it be that he…" Scott had a terrifying thought that seemed to make sense."She might not have the antidote," Wilfred said. "But right now, it's our only lead. Without her, finding the antidote would be nearly impossible."Scott clenched his fists, the concern for Nina evident. They were all worried about her, each in their own way. "I understand," Scott said. "I'll find a way."Wilfred cautioned him, "Do what you can, but be careful."Just then, Nina
The restaurant was in complete chaos. Nina was still eating, but Scott and Wilfred became alert. "Nina, there's a fire! We need to get out now," Scott said."Alright," Nina replied, following them out of the restaurant.The restaurant was on the ground floor, so if there was a fire, they could quickly escape. Soon, the restaurant was empty. All the customers were outside, trying to see where the fire was. The restaurant owner was still inside.Nina stood outside, watching. There was not any smoke and it did not look like a fire at all."What's going on?" a customer asked nervously. "Is there a fire?""The alarm went off, so there must be a fire!""Look, the sprinklers are on!"They were talking about the fire sprinkler system inside that had been activated. Amidst the chatter, the owner came out, looking embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, everyone. Our fire system malfunctioned and set off the alarm. I apologize for the scare!"The owner bowed to everyone. "I'll prepare some small g
"It's bad! She is coming this way!"Seeing Nina heading in their direction, James and Felix quickly moved towards the back of the kitchen."What's going on?" Felix asked. "Why is she coming this way? Did we get caught?""Impossible!" James quickly denied. "We were trained soldiers. There's no way she'd notice us.""Then why is she coming?"Both men crouched as they moved."Let's hide for now."They concealed themselves in a hidden corner."Don't let her spot us. We'll move when she leaves."Nina inspected the fire alarm system.It had a hole punched through it."Looks like it was smashed," she noted.The owner quickly explained, "A server might have accidentally bumped into it, triggering the alarm.""Your servers have that much strength?" Nina asked skeptically. "This hasn't happened before, has it?""This is the first time," the owner admitted, struggling to come up with an excuse.Nina observed the large hole, drawing her own conclusions. "Seems like your server has s
James glared at Felix. "Really, Felix? I treated you like a brother, and you betrayed me!"Felix did not back down. "Right back at you!"James turned to Nina, forcing a smile. "Ma’am, I’m really sorry. It was an accident, not intentional. My mistake!"Nina responded, "I think you did it on purpose.""That’s impossible! How could I? I’m a good soldier who serves the people!" James stood at attention and saluted.Nina asked, "Then what are you doing here?" with a stern expression.James thought quickly and grabbed Felix. "We came to eat!"Felix immediately nodded. "Yes, we came to eat."Nina’s expression darkened. "This restaurant isn’t that big. How come I didn’t see you? And why were you in the kitchen breaking things?"She became more serious. "Aren’t you disrupting the restaurant’s business?"Both men fell silent."Did Nash send you to follow me?" Nina continued. "What’s his deal?""Well…"The two hesitated, not know how to respond."Where is he?""Captain isn’t here,"
On the second floor, she noticed a door that was slightly ajar. Nash must be inside. Nina rolled up her sleeves and pushed open the door with her cold and determined expression."Nash, stop being a coward. Can't you just be straightforward...?"Standing in the doorway, her eyes locked onto Nash sprawled on the floor. He looked utterly defeated, surrounded by empty bottles, still clutching one with some liquor left. It seemed he had been drinking all day.Nina had been furious, ready to confront him. She had planned to say the most hurtful things, aiming to crush his pride and make him feel worthless. But things did not go as she had imagined. Seeing Nash drunk and disheveled, any cruel words she had prepared now seemed pointless. He would not hear them anyway.However, she could not understand why Nash had drunk himself into such a state.Wasn't he supposed to be happy with Miranda? Hadn't he rid himself of her? He had humiliated her, boosting his own ego. He should be
Nina did not know how long she sat there, but a deep sadness enveloped her heart. Nash lay motionless in Nina’s arms. The room was quiet with only the sound of his steady breathing.She wanted to ask, but there were no answers. Perhaps she already knew without needing to ask.Eventually, Nina quietly left. This time, her feelings were different. There was more bitterness."Ma'am," James called out, seeing her come out silently. "Did you have a fight with Captain? Are you both okay?"Felix tugged at James's sleeve, signaling him to say less. Seeing Nina's pale face, it was clear things did not go well.Nina looked up at James and said, "Take good care of him." Then, she walked out the door.James stood there, sighing at the fate of two people who could not be together. It was like fate was playing a cruel joke.When Nina returned to the apartment, Wilfred was waiting for her."How did it go?" Wilfred asked. "Is everything okay?"Nina looked at Wilfred and asked, "Do you k
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