They were called away early in the morning, giving Nina space to leave. James’s words reminded Nina of the events of last night, making her blush, but she calmly responded, "I slept well, thanks. You guys carry on.""Sure thing," James replied, not noticing anything unusual.Even though last night wasn’t a dream, not seeing Nash made everything feel surreal. His absence added to her confusion, but she didn’t dwell on it. She knew she would be notified when he returned.Nina went to join the women to help them dry the herbs. As she approached, she heard Arin excitedly shouting, "Nina, why are you out so late? Did you sleep in? Mr. Micah is back!"Arin was thrilled at Micah’s return and wanted to see him, saying, "Everyone went to see what treasures Mr. Micah brought back. Let's hurry and go too."Hearing about Micah’s return brought Nina a sense of relief. At least he was safe. After the Allied Forces invaded, she had been worried about his safety.Following Arin, Nina asked, "D
The girls were clearly worried about Micah. He reassured them, "You don't need to worry about me."Nina observed Micah. Despite the news of the village massacre by the Allied Forces, he showed no emotion. It seemed he already knew.Micah turned to Nina and asked, "How are you adjusting here?""I'm doing well," Nina replied. "I've gotten along well with everyone.""That's good."Micah's expression shifted slightly. "The Captain they mentioned, is he from your country? I saw them helping to rebuild the school."Micah remarked, "Your people are really kind-hearted, helping the villagers without asking for anything in return."His tone carried a hint of skepticism, as if he found it hard to believe such a selfless army existed.Nina added, "In our country, the army isn't used to wage wars and plunder. They protect the people. That's how we build a harmonious nation!"She spoke with confidence, contrasting the chaos she saw here with the peace back home.Micah seemed taken aback b
We tried to comfort her without thinking, "It might not be true."Ivy's eyes turned cold. "Then what is true? Dad acknowledges me, but he doesn't? Have you forgotten how close we were when we were kids? How did things change as we grew up?""Maybe he’s just adjusting to your return," Wes continued to speak kindly. "He has been searching for you all these years."Ivy let out a cold laugh. "I don’t think he considers me his sister!""That’s not it…" Wes started to explain."He treats that woman well, giving her gifts when I get nothing!" Ivy's face twisted with malice. "Why should she have what I don’t? Kill her, and let’s see who he treats well then. If I can’t have it, no one else should!""Yes, Miss!" Wes replied.Ivy watched them with clenched fists, her eyes filled with an uncontrollable hatred, like a venomous snake ready to strike.Meanwhile, Micah had his own matters to attend to.Nina accepted the gift from Micah and stayed with the children as they played. They had gro
The arrow had lodged itself firmly in a tree. Even though it was now stuck there, Nina was still shaking with fear, unable to calm down. Micah furrowed his brows, looking into the depths of the forest. The assailant, realizing their plan had failed, quickly retreated, not wanting to be discovered."Are you okay?" Micah asked, his concern evident.Nina's eyes were wide with shock. The arrow had been aimed directly at her head, clearly intended to kill. Despite the heavy presence of soldiers in the village, someone had still tried to take her life. Who had she angered to such an extent?"Nina," Micah called again, breaking her out of her daze."I'm fine," she replied, though her voice trembled slightly.Micah released her, and she walked over to the tree, pulling the arrow free. It seemed like an ordinary arrow, giving no clues about its origin."You sensed something was wrong earlier, didn't you?" Nina asked, realizing Micah's earlier words had been a warning."I felt something
When he sensed it, he knew immediately."Knowing too much isn't good," Micah warned her. "But you got hurt partly because of me, so I won't let it happen again."He didn't want to disrupt Nina's life.Nina thought for a moment. "It's okay. My life won't be easily taken here.""Let's go," Micah said, continuing to escort her.Nina frowned slightly. He avoided the topic of the Pharaoh, which suggested he was intentionally keeping it from her. Maybe he didn't trust her. Mentioning the Pharaoh didn't elicit any significant reaction from Micah either, hinting at a possible connection he didn't want to disclose.Nina felt Micah could be a breakthrough. She should keep an eye on his movements without alerting him."Miss Nina is back."As soon as Nina and Micah returned to the village, someone called out. They had been worried since she had been gone for so long.Just then, Nash came out and saw her with Micah. His scrutinizing gaze landed on Micah. He walked over and asked, "Why did
Nina's attention to Micah irked Nash. He asked, "Why were you with him all afternoon?""I told you, I fell asleep there," Nina replied.Nash couldn’t understand, "Why didn’t you come back if you wanted to sleep? Being alone with him can cause rumors."Nina didn't like his tone, "How are we alone? There were kids there. Besides, Micah and I are just friends. Who cares what others say? This isn't the old days. Why are you being so old-fashioned?"Nash pursed his lips, his expression darkening."And you disappeared early this morning. Your people couldn’t find you, so I had to do something on my own. Is that wrong?""Fine, let's not argue."Nina sensed that continuing would only make things worse."I don’t want to argue with you," Nash said softly, trying to calm her.His tone was gentle, showing he didn't want to upset her. This softened Nina's anger, and when he knew how to back down, she couldn't stay mad. "I was with Arin. Micah asked me to stay and teach the kids after he le
"Our tribe acknowledges it. I am your long-lost sister!" Ivy emphasized.Micah replied, "You've been gone for so many years. How do we know the person who returned isn’t an imposter? If you don’t want things to get worse, stop interfering in my life!"Ivy clenched her fists tightly. This was the first time she had heard Micah speak so harshly. He doubted her! The realization made her anxious.Micah didn’t hold her in high regard but also didn’t want her affecting his life. He visited home infrequently to avoid her, hoping less contact would prevent his irritation. Yet she couldn’t understand.Micah walked away, leaving Ivy with a twisted, angry expression. Her fists trembled from how tightly she was clenching them."Miss, don’t take what he said to heart..." Wes tried to comfort her."Shut up!" Ivy snapped at him, "This is all your fault! If you had killed Nina, we wouldn’t have these problems. Instead, you failed, and now my brother is scolding me. You're useless!"Wes kept h
Nina noticed that Micah had left, so she walked over to his desk. There were several notes and some foreign books. As she flipped through the pages, a bookmark fell out. The bookmark itself wasn't particularly special, but the design on it seemed oddly familiar. She thought for a moment and realized that it matched the symbol on the clothing of the people who had chased her and Scarlett.Nina was shocked. Could this really be a coincidence? The symbol must be some kind of mark. Could it be that Micah was actually connected to the Pharaoh?"The noodles are ready," Micah said, bringing two bowls of plain noodles to the table. "Come eat."Nina quickly hid the bookmark in her sleeve and said, "Okay."They sat across from each other, the simple noodles served with a single egg. It looked very plain."I'm not much of a cook, but I hope you don't mind," Micah said softly.Nina took the utensils and started to stir the noodles, her eyes lingering on Micah. He ate his noodles quietly,
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