"Really?" Nina was a bit surprised.Nash glanced at her, his tone calm. "Your clothes are dirty. You probably need a shower."Nina looked down at herself. At home, she used to shower every day. Here, with such harsh conditions, she had given up on that luxury. She had been buried under rubble and had been through a lot, so she definitely wasn't clean. She hadn't expected Nash to be so considerate.She couldn't help but sniff herself. "Do I smell?""No." Nash's deep eyes locked onto hers. "I just know you like to stay clean."His words left Nina momentarily dazed. She looked up at Nash, feeling the distance between them. Despite the divorce papers in hand, he still showed her such thoughtful care.His actions revealed that he was still attentive to her needs.Nina bit her lip, shifting her gaze to avoid the unclear and complicated feelings between them. "Alright."Nina nodded and said, "I'll go back now.""Okay."Nina turned to leave. Nash watched her until she disappeared fro
Her expression grew more awkward, and she let out a light huff, "So what if I did?"Nina crossed her arms and looked at her with a hint of amusement. "Why are you bringing me food? Weren't you trying to kick me out just a few days ago?"Arin's pride was visibly bruised. She glanced at Nina and then looked away. "I didn't want you to starve. The village is in shambles, and many people are eating communal meals. When I didn't see you around, I worried you'd starve to death. I don't want another death in our village."The excuse was flimsy. Nina remembered Arin's previous antics and the fact that she had saved Arin's brother. It was probably guilt that prompted Arin to bring her a meal.Nina walked inside, sat down, and glanced at the food. "There's even meat. Did you bring out your family's best for this?""Who says that!" Arin followed her inside. "Everyone's eating this. I'm not making any special treatment for you!"Despite her defiant attitude, Arin was still a young girl who c
The woman still looked hopeful. "Then when can I come back tomorrow to see him?""I'm not sure about that," the guard replied.Now she felt a bit disappointed. Yesterday, she had managed to see him and even shared a meal with the group, but today he was nowhere to be found. Maybe she had come too late. Perhaps if she arrived earlier tomorrow, she would have better luck.Just then, James walked by, still mulling over whether Nash was using the woman he had seen as a stand-in for someone else. He muttered to himself, "It shouldn't be, right? Preparing a hot bath for her? Captain wouldn't be this nice to just any woman, it's not ethical. But then, Captain isn't that kind of person."He was trying to reassure himself, knowing Nash's deep affection for Nina. It did not seem likely he would use someone as a stand-in. But on the other hand, since Nash and Nina were divorced, he wouldn't have to worry about ethics.As James muttered to himself, the woman, Chana, looked up and saw him.
James said, "It's no trouble. You're doing this for Captain after all."Chana smiled and left, and James followed shortly after. However, Chana kept James's words in mind, curious about the woman Nash was supposedly so attentive to.She didn't leave immediately but instead asked a soldier, "When will we leave this village?""I'm not sure about that," the soldier replied.Chana tried another approach, "The woman who's been in close contact with Captain, is she from this village?"The soldier thought for a moment, "No, I think she's from our country."Hearing this, Chana's heart sank. That woman was from their country. No wonder they were all talking about it."Thanks," she said with a smile and returned to her tent.Her son woke up as she arrived. "Mom, where did you go?" The boy, speaking their native language, clung to her, looking anxious. She hugged him tightly."I went to see Captain," Chana said, stroking his soft hair."The handsome uncle?" the boy asked."Yes," Chana
At that moment, she noticed many women with tools, carrying baskets on their backs. Among them was Arin."Arin!" Nina called out. "Are you all going to gather herbs this early?""Yes," Arin replied. "Early is best. Some herbs retract once the dew dries. Plus, we can also gather bamboo shoots. It's the season for them!""I'll join you," Nina offered, thinking she had nothing else to do and was eager to help."Great, I'll get you a basket and tools," Arin responded warmly.Nina quickly integrated with them and joined them in gathering herbs on the mountain. Some of the women, noticing her delicate appearance, doubted her capabilities. One remarked, "Can you manage this?"Nina confidently replied, "I can handle it. I'm stronger than I look," in the Yaren language. Though her pronunciation was still rough, she understood their words and could respond in kind.This impressed the women. "This girl is smart, speaking our language," one exclaimed.Nina smiled. "Just a bit, so bear wi
In Nash's mind, the Pharaoh was definitely not a good person."Look over there! The Yaren women are gathering herbs!"They saw the women working hard."The allied forces' raid destroyed most of the herbs, which are their primary source of income.""Wait…" Felix suddenly rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Am I seeing things, or is that someone familiar among the Yaren women?"Nash immediately recognized Nina in the midst of the women. She had managed to fit in quickly, even chatting happily with them. Most of these women hadn’t received any formal education and spoke their native Yaren language. The younger ones could speak a bit of the common language. Nina seemed to be able to communicate with them quite well.Nash glanced at Felix. "You’re not seeing things."Felix was shocked. "What? Ma'am followed us all the way to the Yaren territory!"Nash pressed his lips together and corrected him, "From now on, call her Miss Nina.""Understood, Captain," Felix replied.Despite his word
Nina knew her pants were wet. Everyone too. It was a small price to pay for gathering herbs, and she didn't mind."I’ll change when we get back," she said casually.Nash, however, warned her, "If you don’t protect your legs from the damp, you could get rheumatism.""It’s just for a little while," Nina replied politely. "I’ll change my pants as soon as we return."But Nash’s attention was fixed on her legs. Without saying a word, he knelt down and began to roll up her pant legs.Surprised and a bit embarrassed, Nina tried to stop him. "What are you doing? It’s really not necessary."Ignoring her protests, Nash took off his kneepads and fastened them around her legs.Everyone around them watched with growing curiosity.Arin covered her mouth in excitement, as if she had just discovered a juicy piece of gossip.Their relationship was clearly not ordinary!It felt like watching a romantic drama unfold.Nash tightened the kneepads, securing them snugly. "These are waterproof and
Arin was describing a romantic scene she had read in a novel, almost too sweet to handle. However, Nina couldn't feel the same way. Her relationship with Nash was mostly bittersweet. Seeing Arin so animated, Nina couldn't help but tap her on the forehead and tease, "Aren't you the one who likes Mr. Micah? Why are you switching sides now? You better not throw another mouse at me!"Arin stopped immediately. "Oh, come on! I was just messing with you. Don't hold a grudge. Besides, Mr. Micah and Captain York are totally different."She looked at Nina, then burst into laughter. "Mr. Micah is gentle and kind to everyone, but Captain York? He seems to have a soft spot just for you.""How can you tell? He seems kind to everyone."Arin thought for a moment. "Well, maybe you're right, but Captain York always looks so cold. He only warms up to you. Mr. Micah is gentle with everyone, so we all like him."Talking about Mr. Micah seemed to give Arin plenty to say. Meanwhile, Nash was followi
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.“Haven’t I been just fine lately?“Or do you think my hand isn’t injured enough? If that’s the case, go ahead—do it yourself. “You already know I wouldn’t fight back no matter what.” Without warning, Yelena stretched out her injured hand, an act that instantly enraged Liam. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He snapped. “I was just making a casual remark. Is that really what you think of me? I already told you—I’m not going to lay a hand on you.“It wasn’t intentional before, and you know it. We both do. Stop acting like you’re above all this when we both know who sent you here.” Yelena felt a pang of sadness. They had spent so much time together, yet this was how he treated her—always choosing to hurt her. “I know—I wasn’t someone you chose, and none of this was intentional. But after all this time we've spent together...“I thought maybe I was a little different to you. But I guess I was wrong. Nothing has changed at all.
“Why do you even care about what happens to other people? Haven’t I made myself clear enough already?“Whose card is this—yours or mine?” His assistant immediately apologized upon hearing Caleb’s tone. “I hope you won’t hold this against me. I really wasn’t thinking clearly at the time—I should have considered this more carefully.” Caleb didn’t bother responding. After hanging up, he focused entirely on investigating Vera’s brother. *Meanwhile, Vera was deeply worried. If things had been somewhat under control before, now they were completely off track. The situation on both sides was far more complicated than she had anticipated. “Don’t worry. That’s exactly how it is. If you don’t want to go in person, I can go for you—but it won’t be cheap,” the private investigator said.Since Caleb had warned her about the private investigator, Vera started testing him, probing for inconsistencies. And sure enough, his story had too many holes. “Why are you so sure my b
As Caleb spoke, he looked at Vera with a hint of helplessness. After all, her hand had been injured because of Luna. “Don’t feel guilty about this. Honestly, it’s nothing to me.“And I’m not the type to carry burdens over things like this.“Besides, it’s been so long. If this had happened back then, I might have cared. But now? I just don’t think it matters anymore.” Vera’s voice was steady and sincere. But Caleb’s expression darkened. “Why would you say that? Why do you think it doesn’t matter? Do you really see me as just the same as everyone else?” For some reason, at this moment, Caleb took it personally. Vera couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not. You’re different from the rest—so obviously, I wouldn’t see it the same way.“You’ve helped me so much. The least I can do is acknowledge that, instead of stubbornly nitpicking about what’s right or wrong, don’t you think?“Besides, whatever happened between you and Luna, that’s none of my business. It’s in
“I didn’t mean to just now. Besides, you’ve been acting all sneaky lately—so really, who else is to blame?” Seeing Yelena in tears, Liam, who had been furious just moments ago, felt a small pang of guilt. He was never good at expressing emotions. But watching her like this made him a little uncomfortable. “Go get your hand treated. Otherwise, people who don’t know any better might think I’ve been abusing you.” With that, he turned and walked away. Yelena watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit helpless. This wasn’t something she could decide on her own. Installing surveillance? It wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Liam was naturally suspicious. If he caught wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous. But she had no choice. She had a mission to complete, and there was more at stake than just this moment. Letting out a deep sigh, she finally decided to head to a clinic to get her hand treated. *“What happened to you? That’s a serious injury. You
And just like that, the conversation fell into a brief silence. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hunter received a call from Yelena. “What did you just say?” Yelena told him that her hand was broken, and on top of that, Liam seemed to be getting suspicious. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she called Hunter for advice. “I don’t really care what happens to you, but at the very least, take care of yourself.“Otherwise, if something else goes wrong later, I’ll have to step in and clean up the mess. Don’t you think so?” Hearing this, Yelena was a little taken aback. “It’s not just about my injury. The real problem is, I’m scared of what he might do now.” Sure, she had taken the two hundred thousand dollars, but she had to stay alive to spend it. At this rate, she wouldn’t even make it through in one piece. “I already told you—protect yourself. If you need anything else, I’ll try to provide it. But right now, I need you to do something for me.” Hunter had been look
“Yes, it’s in that mountain area. If you’re worried, you can go check it out yourself. But as for anything else, we don’t really have much more information.”Compared to everything else, this was the most baffling situation.“You make a good point. But given the current circumstances, I think it’ll be difficult to pull off.”Vera was speaking with the private investigator. Deep down, she was more worried than anything else.“Don’t worry,” the private investigator reassured her. “Aside from what we discussed earlier, nothing else seems too extreme. Plus, we’ve already looked into it pretty thoroughly.”By the time he finished speaking, his expression had grown more complicated.“Alright. I understand.”After hanging up, she anxiously looked straight ahead. If she had been mentally prepared before, now she was starting to feel uneasy. “What’s going on?” Caleb asked while driving, glancing at her. Vera hesitated, debating whether to tell him or not. But seeing the strange
“I only had one surgery today,” Caleb said as he drove, his voice calm but firm. “Now that it’s done, I want to know why this happened.” After that, he said nothing more. Vera sat in silence, her heart uneasy as the car pulled up in front of an upscale club. Even though her hand was already bandaged, she still felt a sting of pain every time Caleb showed concern. “So this is what it feels like to have someone care,” she thought to herself.Back when Vera had been stepped on, her only concern had been the contract—whether the deal would fall apart and if her suffering had been for nothing.If it had been anything else, she probably wouldn’t have cared as much.But Caleb’s concern made it impossible for her to brush aside.It kept lingering in her mind, refusing to let her feel indifferent.“Don’t overthink it,” Caleb said, his voice firm. “Whatever happened between Luna and me doesn’t change the fact that this concerns me too—and I owe it to you to make things right.”
“Oh? So this is the apology you wanted?” Vera’s forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain, but the two women standing over her barely reacted. As if this was normal to them. As if humiliating her was just another game. “I asked you a question.” Vera remained half-crouched on the ground, her hand still pinned under Luna’s heel. Helena smirked. “Yeah, I’d say that’s good enough.” She hadn’t expected Vera to be this stubborn, but it didn’t matter. With an exaggerated sigh, she casually scribbled her signature onto the contract. The deal was officially secured. Vera didn’t waste another second. She cast one last glance at the two women. “I have no interest in getting involved in your personal drama. As for Caleb and me, that’s between us. We both made our choices.” Luna’s expression twisted slightly. “I won’t bother commenting on your relationship,” she said, voice dripping with disdain. “But don’t think for a second that this will ever earn
The moment Vera heard her assistant’s words, her expression darkened. Her previously calm tone turned firm. “If that’s the case, I understand. But I still have to go. This is my responsibility, and no one else can handle it.” If she didn’t take the lead, the other party would only grow bolder. However, the moment she glanced at the name on the negotiation list, she couldn’t help but frown. Because the person she was supposed to meet wasn’t just anyone. It was Helena Xander. Vera had encountered her before—back when her relationship with Caleb hadn’t yet escalated. Even then, Helena had openly mocked her, saying that since Caleb had been Luna’s devoted lapdog for years, he should know his place and never overstep. She had also thrown a few sharp words at Vera, telling her to recognize her own status—as if warning her that getting involved would only bring trouble. Back then, Vera hadn’t taken it seriously. She never thought she would cross paths with the