Nash gazed deeply at her, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Nina, you've always brought me surprises."Hearing this, Nina felt reassured. She grasped Nash's hand, her eyes welling up with tears. "Please, don’t disappoint me again, okay? The baby and I want a stable family, a healthy environment to grow up in. This isn’t too much to ask, is it? You’ve experienced it yourself, haven’t you?"Nash replied, "You won't forgive me."Nina furrowed her brows. "Why wouldn’t I forgive you? I know you’ve sacrificed a lot for me. Even if there were difficulties, as long as I can understand, I’m willing to believe in you.""Understood," Nash said softly. "Then I'll tell you the truth. You were right. I had held Miranda captive, but she's not here anymore. Don’t worry, I won't face any repercussions. I've made her pay for what she did to you."He smiled as he said this, as if avenging her brought him great satisfaction, making Nina feel uneasy."What did you do?" she asked.
Nina felt deeply touched. "Meeting you has been a blessing for me too. We've helped each other so much!"Seeing that they had a lot to talk about, Nash said, "Scarlett works for me now. Didn't you mention wanting to learn self-defense? Scarlett can teach you.""Really?" Nina's eyes lit up. "I'd love that! Once I’ve fully recovered, I definitely want to learn!"Nash smiled, genuinely happy to see Nina excited. He hoped she could protect herself."You two keep chatting. There's plenty of time," Nash said.Nina looked at him. "Are you leaving?"Nash nodded. "I have a lot to take care of. I'll come back to be with you once I'm done.""Okay." Nina did not want to hold him up.Nash left, gently closing the door behind him.Outside, a well-dressed man in his fifties, looking like a butler, was waiting. He was accompanied by four or five burly bodyguards. The butler bowed respectfully to Nash."Three months is your deadline. Please remember our agreement."Nash's expression was cold
Nina felt puzzled, "Why?"Scarlett thought for a moment and then found an excuse, "He's always busy in the lab and can't take calls. It's best not to disturb him. When he's done, he'll definitely come to see you. This way, he won't be distracted from his research."Nina thought Scarlett made a lot of sense. She did not want Wilfred to be distracted either, knowing he had more important things to handle."Okay, I'll wait until he's not busy," Nina said without thinking much more about it.Scarlett looked at Nina and saw the joyful smile on her face. However, Scarlett was looking a bit uneasy. Worried Nina might overthink things, she hesitated to say more. Instead, she gratefully said, "Captain York has been really good to me. Thanks to you, he gave me a new identity. I owe everything to you and him. I won't ever let you down."She spoke as if making a vow, but Nina responded, "You're being too polite. We're friends. You used to protect me, and now it's my turn to protect you. Eve
"I wouldn't be here today..." Nelly's tears burst forth as she cried openly on stage. "I am especially grateful to one person who couldn't be here today, but this honor belongs to her too. That's Nina. She not only saved me but also saved our entire crew. Without her, I wouldn't be standing here today. Please remember, she is also the director of 'Glory'—Nina!"After she finished speaking, there was another round of applause. Nina, knowing how difficult the journey had been, felt her eyes well up with emotion.Nelly finished her speech, and then Penelope came up to say a few words. She was more confident than ever, perhaps because she now had a solid foundation."Ten years ago, I was a small-time actress," she began. "In the ten years of struggling, I have stood on high peaks and have also fallen. But in the end, I got back up!"Her words were inspiring, and the audience responded with applause. Smiling at the camera, she continued, "Like our director, the person I am most grateful
Nina heard labored breathing, followed by Scott's voice, "I think I'm close, but I'm not sure what will happen next. I can't take the phone with me. No one entering can bring a phone. If discovered, it would be disastrous. I hope whoever finds this phone can call one of the contacts to let them know I'm alive. I'm doing this not just for her, but for all those who have been hurt. Thank you!"That was all. Just one message."He will be safe. Things aren't as bad as they seem and everything will be okay," Nina whispered to herself, gripping the phone tightly.She thanked the caller and hung up, but her heart was still uneasy. She knew nothing about the organization Scott was infiltrating. If he went in, could he come out? How would she explain this to his parents?Nina wished she could go immediately, but she was still in recovery and hadn’t learned self-defense yet. Going now would only hinder.Late at night, Nash came to see Nina. He timed his visit for when she would be aslee
Nina felt a bit reassured. "Of course he's a good person.""I also wish someone could be by your side," Nash said softly.Nina stiffened and looked up at him. "What do you mean by that?"Nash gently patted her back. "Just trying to comfort you so you can sleep.""Is this how you comfort someone? You never used to be like this. Lately, you've been distant with me," she replied.Her words were striking a chord with Nash, leaving him uncertain whether to keep his distance or come closer.He instinctively tightened his hold on her. "I'm afraid of upsetting you or making you dislike me."Nina realized she felt a deep sense of loss, despite everyone still being there. It was as if no one was truly by her side. She did not want to lose anyone else.She held onto Nash's waist. "What should I do? Am I getting sick again? It feels like something's wrong, like I've lost everything, and no one is around."The baby wasn't with her, Scott wasn't there, and even Wilfred seemed absent. She fe
Nina was completely stunned. She thought the nurse must be joking. How could her baby not be here?She forced a shaky smile. "No... Nurse, you must be mistaken. I just gave birth. If my baby isn't here, where else could he be?"Nina considered other possible issues. "If my name isn't registered, the father's name should be. Check for Nash York's name. Look again."Despite trying to remain rational, Nina was starting to panic. The nurse immediately checked again."There's no record of that name either," she confirmed."That's impossible!" Nina refused to believe it. "I'll check myself! Let me look!"She was completely frantic now. Convinced the nurse had missed something, she grabbed the records to check for herself. When she did not find the name, her heart sank.Nina tried to reassure herself. "It must have been an oversight. I'll go look!"Unsure of what to do, she pretended to be calm and insisted on looking for her baby."Ma'am, you can't go in. Parents are not allowed bey
Nina’s eyes were red with tears. She stared intensely at Nash, gritting her teeth. "Nash, when will you stop lying to me? Why did you have to lie about our baby too?""I'm sorry.""Sorry? What good is that?" Nina screamed hysterically. "Can it bring our baby back? What did you do? How could our baby die? What did you do to my baby?"Nash's eyes were bloodshot as he tightly pressed his lips together, looking both cold and heartless. "He was dead at birth!"In that moment, Nina's heart broke completely. She stared into his eyes, now filled with hatred. She lunged forward and bit his arm hard.Nash did not move, enduring the pain, letting her vent her fury. Blood trickled from her mouth and dripped onto the floor.Nina continued to glare at him, biting down with such force it seemed she might tear off his flesh. The blood flowed from the bite, but Nash made no attempt to stop her, showing no expression.Seeing his lack of reaction, Nina felt it wasn't enough to release her anger an
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
”Those were her meticulously compiled notes, the result of hours of hard work—and now they were ruined just like that?” Karina thought.“I’ve never wronged you. Why would you do something like this?” she demanded, her voice trembling with indignation. Something about the situation felt off, and Karina’s sharp intuition told her this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding.Under Karina’s intense gaze, the nurse finally broke down, revealing Ava’s role in orchestrating the whole thing. Karina’s anger turned into a mix of rage and incredulous amusement. “Really? Rich people—did they all enjoy throwing money around like this?”All this trouble, just to ruin her hard-earned work over a seat?Her carefully compiled notes were gone, and there wasn’t a second copy. Arguing wouldn’t bring them back, but Ava wasn’t going to let this slide without giving someone a piece of her mind.Finding Ava wasn’t difficult. In fact, Ava didn’t even try to avoid her. She seemed to be waiting, eager to see
Just as Ava was about to cause a scene, the sound of steady footsteps filled the room. Wilfred strode in, his white coat enhancing his composed, almost ethereal aura. Ava shot Karina a glare, silently committing her to memory, then begrudgingly found another seat. Wilfred’s gaze swept across the room, pausing ever so briefly on Karina before moving on. She wasn’t sure if it was real or just her imagination. “Today, we’ll discuss cellular structures. I’ll start with an example from my doctoral thesis,” Wilfred announced, adjusting the projector. To Karina’s surprise, he was an exceptional lecturer—clear, engaging, and far more comprehensible than many university professors. She listened intently, taking meticulous notes. Yvette peeked over at Karina’s notebook, wide-eyed at the densely packed writing. “Karina, when you eventually get promoted, land a big raise, or go for your doctorate, I promise I won’t be jealous. Truly.”Karina chuckled. “If you need these notes, I can len
Karina glanced at the time and quickly gestured for Yvette to sit down as well. However, barely had they taken their seats when a haughty woman marched up to Karina, her sharp gaze fixed on the chair she was sitting on. “You, get up. I want that seat!” Karina frowned, studying the unfamiliar woman. She didn’t recognize her from the hospital, but the designer jewelry around her neck and the branded bag on her arm screamed wealth. She seemed like the kind of entitled socialite who rarely had to fight for anything, let alone a seat.Unsure if the woman was trying to pick a fight or genuinely wanted the chair, Karina pointed to the open seats nearby. “There are plenty of seats over there. Take one of those.”Then, she lowered her head, dismissing the woman entirely.The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Excuse me? I said I want your seat. Get up. Now!” Not content with words alone, she reached out to pull Karina up by force. Karina, now genuinely angry, shook her off. “I was h
Karina looked slightly surprised. She distinctly remembered that Wilfred wasn’t a drinker. “I thought you avoided alcohol?” Wilfred, ever the epitome of control and composure, preferred to steer clear of anything that dulled his sharpness. Back when they worked at the Birkham Central Hospital, she had seen him reject bottles of expensive wine from people trying to curry favor with him. He sipped his tea slowly before replying, “You’ve started at a new hospital. As your former mentor, I haven’t given you a proper congratulatory gift yet.” “This is… for me?” Karina asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Wilfred’s gaze was steady as he replied, “Don’t like it? If not, I can send it back and we can find something else later.” He raised his hand to call the server over. “Wait! No need. I like it a lot,” Karina interjected hastily, stopping him in his tracks. The idea of going gift shopping with him later felt uncomfortably like a date. And knowing Wilfred’s personality, w
Wilfred’s gaze swept over her without a word, and Karina climbed into the car on her own. When choosing her seat, she instinctively moved toward the back, but before she could get in, Wilfred spoke, “Sit in the front. It’s more convenient.” Karina hesitated briefly. Not wanting to appear overly particular, she complied and took the passenger seat. Although there was a saying that the front seat was reserved for a girlfriend, Wilfred didn’t strike her as someone who cared about such details. She decided to pretend she didn’t know. After buckling her seatbelt, a phone suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up, her face full of confusion and surprise. Wilfred glanced sideways at her, one hand on the steering wheel, the car still stationary. “I haven’t decided on a restaurant yet. I’ll be driving soon. You pick something.” Karina took the phone. As Wilfred drove, she scrolled through the options, narrowing it down to three restaurants. But her mild indecisivenes
Karina forced a smile. “Really, it’s fine. You all go ahead.”Yvette pouted, her disappointment clear as she relented. “Alright then.”Once the others had left, Karina tried to refocus on work. She pulled out her research materials, determined to get something done. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept wandering. The cheerful chatter from outside finally snapped her out of it, making her realize just how distracted she had been.Karina gave a wry smile and muttered to herself, “This is why you don’t get ahead of yourself. Seriously, one of life’s biggest delusions.”For a fleeting moment, she had thought Wilfred might feel something for her too. But it was better this way, she told herself—better to wake up now than to fall in too deep later. Romance wasn’t her strong suit; focusing on her career was safer.While others might drown their heartbreak in food or a night out, Karina chose the most grueling outlet: work. It might be exhausting, but it was effective. S