Seth's eyes were cold and piercing. "What about those female corpses?"Sawyer's expression stiffened as he downed a glass of wine. "How should I know? You don't think it was me, do you?"Seth replied, "Pharaoh has ordered us not to make any moves until he gives the word. You know the consequences of disobeying him.""Pharaoh isn't even in the country."Seth sensed the underlying message. "So, you're admitting it?"Sawyer smiled. "That's not what I said. There's no proof it was me. But Seth, we've been working together for years, as equals. Despite my hospitality and offer to share my territory, you show up and start accusing me. That's not very fair, is it?"Seth sneered. "Are you planning to betray the organization?"Sawyer's expression darkened. "Now you're just assigning guilt without proof!"Seth continued, "You're back to your old tricks, dealing in organ trafficking. I can't help but suspect you're trying to set yourself up as the new ruler, planning to betray the organiz
Seth did not say anything more. But seeing Sawyer's smug expression, thinking Seth was under his control, irritated Seth greatly."Equal partners? No need for that!" Seth refused, knowing well that Sawyer's words were just a façade. He had no intention of becoming complicit with him. "You can keep your crown."Sawyer, seeing Seth so compliant, did not press the issue. He knew he had Seth’s weakness firmly in his grip. No matter how loyal Seth was to Pharaoh, he had to think of a way to protect his own life and his daughter’s life too.With this understanding, Sawyer felt that Seth's release from prison posed no real threat to him.As Seth left, his face was dark with brooding thoughts. Sawyer watched him go, a sly grin playing on his lips."Are you really going to let him go? Aren’t you afraid he’ll snitch?" one of Sawyer’s men asked."He won't dare," Sawyer replied confidently. "Besides, if we move against him, Pharaoh will start asking questions."He could not afford to kill S
Miranda smiled gently. "It's settled then. Nash will be pleased.""When you're heading back, be cautious. It's not safe in the city right now with those female body cases popping up," Seth warned her.Mentioning this, Miranda asked, "Dad, has the organization mobilized again? I've overheard Nash discussing it with his men."Seth looked up, surprised. "Nash is investigating this?"Miranda nodded. "Yes, he is."A sudden idea struck Seth, and he started to smile. "In that case, give him a tip. It might help him solve the case quickly."---"I can't sit still. I'm going crazy with anxiety!" Nelly said as she paced back and forth, unable to stay seated."What's the rush? It hasn't even started yet, and you've never been this nervous before," Nina remarked."You don't understand. This is my baby. Of course, I want it to do well. The uncertainty is what's making me anxious!" Nelly replied."Sit down," Nina urged, pulling her into a chair. "Whether it succeeds or not, we'll find out
Yvonne was trying to lift everyone's spirits, but no one seemed to be able to muster any enthusiasm. The high expectations they had set for themselves had not been met, and naturally, their confidence had plummeted.Nelly was beginning to doubt herself, her eyes red with tears. "Maybe my script is just terrible. Why can’t it compete with theirs? I tried so hard!"Her confidence was severely shaken."Of course not!" Nina immediately reassured her. "We barely did any marketing. The buzz is naturally low. It’s just the beginning. Let’s give it a few days and see how it goes."Nelly choked up, "I thought it would do well right out of the gate.""This is good," Nina said, looking at the comments. "The viewers are saying the storyline is fresh and exciting and that they can’t wait for more.""But the ratings aren’t there!" Nelly said, frustrated. "We’re only in second place on the platform, and there’s a huge gap. What good are good reviews without high ratings?""It will go up," Ni
Even though they were divorced, having such a dream still left Nina terrified. With that, she completely lost any desire to sleep. She turned on the light, struggled to sit up while holding her belly. She then got out of bed to drink a glass of water. She picked up her phone and started scrolling through the news online. At this moment, it seemed to be the fastest way for her to get updates from the outside world. There was no progress on the case of the murdered women, but her worries persisted. She thought of Wilfred. Since she last saw him in his studio, she had not seen him again. Busy with work, she had not noticed if there was any movement next door. She opened the door. Now, in the dead of night, even a pin dropping could be heard. Standing at Wilfred's door, she did not know how to face him. She knew her life was hanging by a thread and she did not want to drag them down, yet she could not help but worry. These conflicted feelings were hard to manage.It was as if Wi
Nina was still a bit groggy and she asked in a hoarse voice, "What made it?""The drama," Nelly said excitedly. "We've made a comeback!"Nina was instantly wide awake. She sat up quickly and grabbed her phone to check the news about their drama. Yesterday it was ranked second, but today it had climbed to first place. The viewership had multiplied several times overnight, and the reviews were getting better and better. It was breaking real-time popularity records.Nina could not help but feel a huge surge of joy. If the popularity continued to rise and the storyline held up, things would only get better. The worry that had been weighing on her lifted, and she felt a wave of happiness. Hard work did pay off. If one put in enough effort, dreams would indeed come true.She quickly got ready to meet up with the others. She ran into Wilfred downstairs, who was driving his car. He rolled down the window. "Where are you headed? I'll give you a ride."Nina, in a good mood, did not
Nina laughed and said, "Have these been authorized?""Yes, they have!" Nelly confirmed. "I can vouch for it. This isn’t a knockoff. It's an official release. These are just samples, and they're already selling well online!""It seems like this isn’t a dream. 'Glory' is actually doing well," Nina remarked. Just that morning, everything had seemed so uncertain, but now their drama's popularity was soaring."We’ve already hit over a hundred million views! I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime," Angel exclaimed.Nina glanced at the numbers. The view count had indeed surpassed a hundred million, with comments praising the thrilling and engaging plot. The positive feedback was overwhelming."My son’s formula milk money is covered!" Nina joked."I think we can surpass 'Demon Bone!'" Angel said excitedly. "'Glory' is trending nonstop, and everyone’s calling it the dark horse that came out of nowhere with minimal marketing.""I keep seeing fan edits with hundreds of thousands of
"Then go see him," Penelope suggested, "not for him, but for yourself. Knowing he's safe will give you peace of mind."---Meanwhile, Miranda had not slept all night, worrying about Nash's safety. She had called Seth for reassurance, but he insisted there was no danger. Still, her instincts would not let her rest.Early in the morning, exhausted and anxious, she stayed alert to every sound, hoping it was Nash returning. But there was no news of him.Miranda was so preoccupied with Nash's safety that she barely cared about the ratings of 'Demon Bone'. Yesterday's ratings were good, and she knew the ratings of 'Glory' had not met expectations and might even decline. This reassured her that she was finally winning against Nina, both in fame and love.Just as she was feeling a sense of accomplishment, she heard a noise at the door. Thinking it was Nash, she eagerly ran to open it. "Nash—" she started, but it was only her assistant with breakfast.The excitement faded from Miranda's
Wilfred coughed lightly and replied, “There’s nothing else to do while staying in the room.” His explanation only made things worse. Karina’s brows shot up immediately. “What do you mean by nothing else to do?” Her expression turned serious, and her tone carried an unusual firmness. “It doesn’t matter. When you’re sick, you need to rest properly. Your book is confiscated. Go lie down.” It was the first time someone had ordered Wilfred around like this, and he found it oddly amusing. Of course, if it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have listened. Only Karina could manage to sway him. Even so, Wilfred didn’t head to bed but remained seated in his chair. “You mentioned earlier that you came because of something. What is it?” Karina hesitated briefly. “Well, the association sent me an email. I just saw it. They’re inviting me to visit when I have time.” As soon as she finished, she watched Wilfred’s reaction nervously. Knowing his antagonism toward the association
Karina had no idea why the association would send her such a letter. The invitation at the end even encouraged her to visit them in person. But instead of feeling flattered, her first thought was suspicion. Was this truly an act of goodwill, or was there something more behind it? Were they targeting her or perhaps Wilfred? Yvette noticed Karina’s lack of enthusiasm and tried to persuade her. “You’re not planning to go? This is an invitation from the association! For newcomers like us, meeting any of those big names is practically impossible.“If you join, everything could change.” Karina shook her head firmly. “I’m not interested at the moment.” “But what about finding a mentor…” “I’ll figure something out,” Karina replied calmly. “Thanks for your concern, but please don’t try to convince me. I don’t have a good impression of the association, and I won’t be joining.” Her tone left no room for further discussion. Yvette wanted Karina to join out of genuine conce
In the medical field, the association referred to here was an elite organization. Its members were either highly reputable figures like Professor Zeller or individuals with exceptionally powerful connections, like Harley. The majority of the association fell into two categories. The first was well-connected individuals who used their influence to secure their positions. The second was a rare group who stayed out of cliques and politics, dedicating themselves solely to their craft. These individuals were admitted into the association based purely on merit and skill. Wilfred had once belonged to this latter group before he chose to leave the association. Karina had learned all this inadvertently from Wilfred, whose brief mentions of the association had piqued her curiosity for a long time. Finally catching sight of the association’s forum, her eyes instinctively lit up. But then her gaze landed on a highlighted post in bold red letters: “How Can an Unknown Nobody Pull Off
Just minutes earlier, Wilfred had watched this person leave with his own eyes. Answering the call, his tone was cold. “Why are you calling?” Xavier’s voice came through, calm but pointed. “Dr. Wilfred, I just wanted to thank you and offer a bit of advice. Not everyone can endure your aloofness and indifference. Sometimes, it wouldn’t hurt to take the initiative.” Wilfred’s grip on the phone tightened, his brows drawing together sharply. “What are you trying to say?” He was already considering hanging up. It was as if Xavier could read his thoughts. “Have you ever considered that maybe the other person isn’t unwilling?” The words struck Wilfred like a bolt. Wilfred could sense Karina’s feelings for him. But his past and his self-awareness painted a starkly different picture of himself—dull, detached, like a withered tree. Others might look at him and think he could bloom again with the arrival of spring, but Wilfred knew better. He had long since withered, lifele
Why would someone as unbothered by non-work matters as Wilfred suddenly intervene in this situation? Karina didn’t think too deeply about it. She failed to notice that the real reason lay in Wilfred’s reluctance to let Xavier stay at the hospital. After all, the only person Wilfred trusted in the Atlantis hospital was Karina. If Xavier stayed, she would inevitably be the one to care for him. And Wilfred, stationed in Birkham, wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on things. Just the thought of Karina and Xavier spending days and nights together in a place out of his sight, talking and sharing moments, made Wilfred’s gaze grow icy without him realizing it. Meanwhile, Karina, shivering from the sudden chill, blamed the air conditioning or her choice of outfit. She was completely oblivious to the most obvious culprit standing right next to her. The discharge procedures went smoothly. By the afternoon, Xavier’s belongings were packed, and he was ready to leave. Since he was Karina’
Harley gritted his teeth, glaring at her as if he wanted to press further, but before he could act, Karina was pulled back. Wilfred fixed him with an icy stare. “This isn’t your place to lay a hand on anyone.” “Wilfred!” Ignoring him entirely, Wilfred turned to Karina and asked softly, “Does it hurt?” Her wrist was red, but as she looked at his serious expression, any discomfort seemed to fade. She shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt. With you here, he wouldn’t dare go too far.“Still, there’s no point wasting time on him. Let’s go.” Wilfred nodded. Before leaving, he glanced coolly at Harley and left him with a parting shot. “This bet? I won. Relay this to your mentor and tell him to keep the association’s hands out of Birkham and Atlantis. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to make sure his reputation is shattered, no matter his age.” With that, they left the corridor. Karina didn’t turn to see Harley’s expression, but as they walked away, she couldn’t help voicing her
At the time, Wilfred had already guessed that this had everything to do with Harley and his mentor, Professor Zeller. “You and your so-called association don’t focus on benefiting patients. Instead, you spend all your time trying to monopolize everything. And now you want to turn me into one of you? Keep dreaming.” Wilfred’s tone was filled with disdain, his eyes cold with contempt. The smug smile on Harley’s face slowly faded. With a sneer, Harley’s voice turned bitter. “You know what I despise most about you? That self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude of yours. I was offering you advice, but if you don’t want to hear it, fine. There’s nothing more to say. After all, if the surgery fails—” Before he could finish the word “fail,” the surgical light outside the operating room flicked off. Clack!The sliding doors parted, and Karina burst through, her face flushed with emotion. She didn’t even notice Harley. Her focus zeroed in on Wilfred. “Wilfred!” Her voice trem
As the surgery approached, Karina worked overtime, meticulously double-checking for any possible oversights. Before stepping into the operating room, she took a deep breath."Karina, you’ve got this!" a nurse beside her encouraged.This surgery was particularly significant, and the assistants and nurses weren’t from her hospital. They were brought in by the project, specifically by Harley’s team. Without a single familiar face around, Karina felt a twinge of anxiety. Opportunities to lead surgeries were already rare for her, let alone under circumstances like this, with no one she could truly rely on.But there was no turning back now. Gritting her teeth, Karina donned her gloves. As she was about to enter the operating room, her peripheral vision caught sight of a figure standing silently in the distance. It was Wilfred. His steady gaze met hers, his eyes carrying something profound she couldn’t quite decipher. When their eyes locked, a faint smile curved his lips.In th
“Ava.”A deep voice cut through the air, and Karina turned to see a man in a black suit, wearing a hat and a mask, striding toward them. But the man’s white eyelashes and distinctive eyes were all Karina needed to recognize him. He was her albino patient, Xavier Jasper!Xavier also didn’t expect to run into both Wilfred and Karina here. “It’s you two,” he exclaimed in surprise.Wilfred’s gaze sharpened as he calmly addressed Xavier. “Keep your sister in line. Apologize.”Before Xavier could respond, Ava stepped forward and, to everyone’s surprise, said, “I’m sorry. I was too impulsive. Please forgive me.” Karina was taken aback by how quickly Ava apologized. Even Xavier, who knew his sister’s arrogant tendencies well, looked stunned.Karina nodded, her tone steady but firm. “I forgive you, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will. You should work on your attitude. Stop acting so entitled everywhere you go.” With that, Karina turned on her heel and walked away. Although Xavie