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
Miranda could not sit still any longer. It was not just Nina. Nash's absence was making her anxious as well."I need to go out," Miranda said, unable to stay put any longer.Her assistant quickly prepared breakfast for her. "Where are you going, Miranda?""Nash hasn't come back yet. I need to go find him."With that, Miranda hurried to change her clothes. "You're not having breakfast?" the assistant asked."No!"Gathering her things, Miranda grabbed her bag and rushed out the door, instructing the driver to take her to Nash's place. Waiting at his place made her feel more secure. She could see him the moment he arrived.On the way, she noticed a familiar car, one that Nina used to drive. As far as she knew, Nash had given it to her. However, this car was not included in the divorce settlement, which had only specified a villa and four million dollars. Compared to Nash's assets, four million plus a villa was a mere trifle. It felt like charity, so naturally, she did not say
"Miranda!"Her assistant finally arrived, holding an umbrella to shield her from the sun. But Miranda's dress was already dirty."Nina has no manners at all. Let me help you clean it," the assistant quickly knelt down, pulling out tissues to wipe the dress.Miranda glared in the direction Nina had left, her eyes wide with hatred. How dare she act so arrogantly when she was so sick! She would beg for mercy when her illness got worse.Miranda took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure. "Let's go wait at Nash's villa."From the rearview mirror, Penelope saw Miranda's furious expression and could not help but smirk. "Give her an inch, and she'll take a mile. She's spoiled."Nina did not care about Miranda. Honestly, she did not even want to acknowledge her existence. It was Miranda who kept pushing, always trying to harm her."The weather is nice today. How about we set up a tent and go camping?" Nina suggested, noticing the bright sun."I think that's a great idea. Let's
The driver knocked Miranda unconscious, and slung her over his shoulder. He then got out of the car, and moved to another vehicle, disappearing from sight.---Nina was unconscious but vaguely felt the jostling, which almost made her vomit. When she woke up, she found her hands and feet bound and smelled a strong odor of gasoline. She was in a wooden house, and it seemed like there was someone else tied to the pillar behind her.Straining to turn her head, she saw the edge of the other person's clothes and recognized who it was.Miranda!Nina furrowed her brows. Why was she tied up with Miranda? Where were they? Despite her panic, Nina forced herself to stay calm.Since she and Miranda were both bound, it was clear that their captor was an enemy of them both, ruling out the possibility that Miranda had orchestrated this. If someone had a grudge against both of them, it was likely connected to Nash. Could it be related to the female corpse case?"Who is it? Who kidnapped
Miranda's face turned bright red from the slap, stunned into silence."Stop trying to intimidate me with his name. I've wanted to kill him for a long time!" Sawyer snarled. "If you don't want to die, keep your mouth shut, and maybe you'll live."This shut Miranda up completely.Nina's heart pounded, her hands slick with sweat. She was not alone in this. She had a child to think about, so she dared not make any rash moves."I'm surprised you're still alive," Sawyer sneered at Nina. "Looks like Nash has gone to great lengths for you."Nina responded with cold sarcasm, "Nash? What effort? Don't you know he dumped me? I'd love to kill him myself right now!"Sawyer glanced at Miranda again, laughing. "Looks like this woman has some tricks up her sleeve, just like her father!"Nina continued, "I don't understand why you kidnapped me. Even if you have a grudge against Nash, that has nothing to do with me. We have no conflict!""You and I have no conflict," Sawyer admitted, pacing in f
"Shut up!" Scarlett glared at Miranda. "My life belongs to Sawyer. I live only to serve him!""You're insane!" Miranda continued. "He's a fugitive now, and you're just a loyal dog!""Stuff her mouth!" Scarlett ordered immediately.Someone grabbed a dirty, foul-smelling rag and shoved it into Miranda's mouth."Mmmph..." Miranda gagged at the stench, feeling like she might vomit, but she could not break free.Scarlett looked at Nina, who met her gaze and saw a message in her eyes. Scarlett was not planning to help Sawyer this time. She intended to help Nina.Nina furrowed her brows and shook her head vigorously.Scarlett gave a reassuring smile, trying to put her at ease.Nina's heart was uneasy. She knew Scarlett wanted to get the antidote for her. Just like she had promised that day. But would the antidote be with Sawyer?Nina did not want Scarlett to take such a risk and she grabbed Scarlett's arm but Scarlett pulled away. Outside, gunfire and explosions erupted, mingled
Chloe scoffed, “What’s the big deal? When I married your father, I just threw on a simple dress and walked into the house. I still have that dress, you know.”She muttered under her breath, “Marriage is about building a life together. What’s the point of all these fancy extras?”A wedding dress? A suit? That sounded expensive. Their family had barely saved a few thousand dollars over the years. How could they justify spending it all on a wedding? *Vera, taking advantage of the last bit of battery on her phone, quickly pulled up photos of wedding dresses and suits. She handed the phone to Alice. “Your brother would look really handsome in a suit.” Alice gasped in excitement. “Wow! These clothes are so pretty! Vera, you’re already beautiful—if you wear this, you’ll look just like a fairy!” Then she hesitated. “When we get the dress… can I try it on too?” “Of course.” This wasn’t a wedding Vera had agreed to in the first place. She had shown Alice the pictur
Alice looked at Vera and tried to reassure her. “It’s just a little meat. It won’t make you gain weight, I promise. Last Christmas, I ate a whole plate of pork, and look—I didn’t gain a pound!”Vera said nothing. In a place like this, meat was probably a rare luxury, something they only had on holidays or special occasions. Things like snack foods, takeout, or even basic convenience store items were probably unheard of here. How could anyone gain weight in a place like this? But Vera wasn’t refusing to eat because she was worried about that.Still, Alice meant well.Even though Vera resented her in this moment, she knew when to pick her battles.So she picked up her fork and ate the piece of chicken.Chloe finally looked pleased.“You haven’t had a baby yet, so why worry about your weight? Eat more—you’ll need the strength to have a big, healthy boy. After that, you can think about getting your figure back. Tonight, you’ll sleep in Peter’s room. You’re already his,
Vera's expression changed completely as she looked at the family. “What are you talking about? Why would I stay here? I have my own life.” “Vera, didn’t you say you couldn’t find your brother?” Alice’s voice grew anxious. “Then take my brother instead! He’ll protect both of us. This is a good thing for you! Don’t tell me you think my brother isn’t good enough?“His leg isn’t perfect, and he can’t do heavy labor, but he’s not useless. And I can help him with the farm work—we can do it together!” Her words were absurd. If Vera had known this was her real intention, she never would have accepted her help. “Enough, both of you, stop talking.”Gerald had lived long enough to understand that his son and Vera were worlds apart. He also knew that there was no way she would willingly stay. But plenty of women in the village hadn’t wanted to stay either. That didn’t matter. As long as she was here, that was enough. He got straight to the point. “Our village
The young girl suddenly looked torn. In their village, getting a wife was extremely difficult. Families with a little money could sometimes bring a wife in from outside, but for families like hers, who had nothing to offer, it was nearly impossible. To make things worse, her brother had a bad leg. As a child, he had been mocked by other kids. He could still walk, but not quickly—and he couldn’t do the heavy farm work required to support a family. Now that he was getting older and still living alone, she felt incredibly anxious. Today, by some stroke of luck, she had met a woman in the mountains who was as beautiful as a goddess. She was determined to make this woman her sister-in-law. But if she left now, what if the woman ran away or was taken away by someone else in the village? What would happen to her brother then? *“It’s already so late,” Vera said gently. “Even if everyone in the village knows each other, it’s still not safe for a young girl
Up ahead was a village. “Miss, it’s really late today, so I’ll take you home first. My parents and brother will take good care of you, and you can get a good night’s sleep at our place. Once you’ve rested, we’ll take you to town tomorrow.” The young girl tightened her grip on Vera’s hand. “My mom is a great cook! She’ll definitely make a big meal to welcome you.” It really was late. The sky was completely dark, and Vera’s phone battery was nearly dead. The girl was still so young. She had already gone out of her way to bring Vera back from the deep mountains. It wouldn’t be right to ask her to take her all the way to town tonight. Vera still had some cash in her pocket. After covering the cost of transportation, she decided she would leave the rest for the girl’s family. If it weren’t for the girl, who knew how long she would have been wandering in the mountains? “My house is just ahead. It’s not in great shape, so don’t mind it too much. Next year, whe
Vera’s nerves tensed up again. A sudden sound in the middle of nowhere was never a good sign. If it was a snake or some other large animal, she would be in serious trouble. Her ankle was swollen, and she couldn’t run fast. Would this be where it all ended for her? She had to leave quietly. But the ground was covered in thick layers of fallen leaves, with dry branches hidden underneath. Crack. As she stepped back, her foot snapped a twig, the sound piercing through the silence. Only one thought filled her mind—this was it. The rustling nearby grew louder. Vera squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself. Then, a voice suddenly spoke beside her. “Miss, why are you here alone? Didn’t your family come with you?” It was a person. Not an animal. Vera’s eyes flew open. A young girl stood in front of her. Fear dissolved in an instant, replaced by relief. She was saved.“I came here alone. Little one, do you know how to get out of here?” Ver
Hunter took a bite of the biscuits and ravioli she had made. The taste was surprisingly good. It wasn’t on the level of a Michelin-starred chef, but it had something even more special—the taste of home. And of course, there was the oatmeal. He took one spoonful after another, finishing the entire bowl. *Meanwhile, Vera still hadn’t found her brother. Disappointment weighed heavily on her as she prepared to leave. But just then, her phone buzzed. An anonymous message. She tapped it open and stared at the image attached. It was a watch. Alone, a watch meant nothing. But this watch was her brother’s. Vera immediately zoomed in on the photo, carefully inspecting the engravings inside. There they were—his initials. No mistake. This was his watch. Below the image, a location pin was attached. The place was nearby. Vera’s eyes filled with determination. If she had found nothing, she would have simply left. But now, she had recei
When Yelena woke up again, she was shocked to find that she wasn’t at the club. She sat up abruptly, looking around in confusion. Then, she got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and pushed the door open. “Where am I?” “At my place,” Hunter replied casually. He was working in the living room when he saw her wake up. “You slept for a long time. I couldn’t just leave you alone at the club, so I brought you back here.” Seeing the uncertainty on her face, he added, “It’s already late. Just stay here for the night. I’ll take you back tomorrow.” Yelena nodded. There was no other choice now. “There’s food in the fridge. If you’re hungry, heat something up. There are also snacks in the drawer—take whatever you want.” “Alright.” She really was hungry. She opened the drawer, grabbed a few small bread rolls, ate them quickly, and then went back to her room to rest. *The next morning, Yelena woke up early. Thinking about everything Hunter had done—treatin
Yelena quickly lowered her arm, letting her sleeve fall over the mark to cover it. “It’s nothing. Here’s your cocktail. Please enjoy.” “Yelena.” Hunter grabbed her wrist without warning. He pulled up her sleeve, revealing the deep, ugly scars on her arm. His brows knitted together instantly. “Who did this to you?” The force behind it was brutal—downright inhuman. Yelena remained silent. Who else could have done this besides Liam? But she had agreed to this. She had willingly accepted Hunter’s request and entered Liam’s world. She had no right to complain. Her silence gave Hunter all the confirmation he needed. “Liam did this to you, didn’t he?” Yelena nodded. “It’s nothing. The wounds have already started healing. They look worse than they feel. Give it some time, and they’ll fade.” “Wait here.” Hunter stood abruptly and walked away. Yelena had no idea what he was doing, but since he told her to wait, she didn’t argue. A few minu