Arin ran back, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her. "Arin, where did you go? We were worried sick.""Where's Captain York? I need to find him," Arin said, her eyes red with worry."Captain hasn't come back yet. Where's Nina? She went to find you, but you're alone.""Nina was taken! We need to find Captain. He's the only one who can save her," Arin said, pacing frantically. "Where is he? I need to tell him quickly.""Nina sent someone to get him when you disappeared. He should be back soon."As soon as Arin heard the sound of a car, she knew Nash had returned. She rushed out to meet him, seeing his serious expression as he got out of the car."Captain, Nina's been taken! You need to save her!"Nash's expression darkened. "Who took her?""I don't know," Arin cried. "I didn't ask enough questions. They were after Nina. She's in danger. We need to save her..."Arin's clues were sparse, but Nash had a pretty good idea who might be involved. There were only a fe
Mrs. Quintana said, "You must not be a local. Here, all sorts of powers coexist. Slavery is just one part of it. You should be thinking about how to survive."Nina realized she was being treated like a slave. No wonder the compound was so large, and the people inside were so scared and silent. They had been beaten into submission. There was no way out for them.After all, they were involved in illegal activities. They couldn't afford to let anyone leave.Nina continued, "Is this Pharaoh's territory?"Mrs. Quintana's face turned pale. "Girl, what business do you have asking about Pharaoh? Keep your mouth shut."This confirmed Nina's suspicion. Pharaoh was someone they all feared."Have you seen Pharaoh?" Nina pressed.Mrs. Quintana, now visibly shaken, replied, "No one in this compound has the chance to see Pharaoh. For your own safety, stop asking about him."This confirmed it. This was indeed Pharaoh's territory. Nina had gambled and won, but she knew she was treading on dange
Mrs. Quintana's face turned pale as she stared at the bullet hole in the wall and the broken whip in her hand. "Everyone, get ready!" she shouted, clutching her head and instinctively trying to find cover, momentarily forgetting about Nina.Panic spread among the others. Those used to living in a war-torn area often reacted to gunfire or even the sound of fireworks as if a battle had begun. But nothing followed.Mrs. Quintana peeked out cautiously, trying to understand what had happened. Nina saw a tall man stride in through the window. His expression was stern and unyielding as he opened the door, his imposing presence dominating the room.Mrs. Quintana froze in place. "Mr. Joker... why are you here?"Mr. Joker was the right-hand man of the boss’s son. Now he was here in person, which explained why someone had dared to fire a gun in this area. Mr. Joker stopped in front of Nina and said coldly, "This person is not to be harmed."Mrs. Quintana hesitated, stunned by the realiza
They even allow fights, drug testing, and various experiments here. Those experiments are worse than death.Hearing this, Nina felt a chill run down her spine.The girl let out a bitter laugh. "Even our bodies are used after we die."She went on to explain how corpses were utilized, making Nina's skin crawl. This place shouldn't be called a slave camp. It should be called a hell camp!Meanwhile, in another part of the building, a lavish bedroom with a grand bed and luxurious decor stood in stark contrast.Ivy was in her room, surrounded by luxurious jewelry, exquisite pastries, and drinks. She was enjoying herself when suddenly, the door was pushed open with a loud creak.Two tall men stood on either side of the doorway, instantly recognizable by their attire.A moment later, a figure cloaked in black, completely obscuring his face with a black fanged mask, entered. Even his eyes were hidden.Ivy immediately stood up and respectfully approached the man. "Father."The man stood
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Ivy's eyes. Since she had brought Nina here, she wouldn't let her leave alive.However, less than half an hour after the man left, someone knocked on her door."Come in."After she coldly spoke these words, a tall man entered, carrying a bowl of chicken soup."Miss Ivy, this is from the Pharaoh. He specifically instructed me to bring it to you to help you recover.""Leave it there. I'll drink it after I change." Ivy barely glanced at him before turning her back.Ever since she arrived here, chicken soup had been served to her regularly, but she was sick of it.The man placed the soup on the desk as instructed. "Miss Ivy, the Pharaoh ordered me to ensure you drink it."Ivy didn't respond immediately, but after changing clothes, she walked to the desk and picked up the bowl. The soup had a strong aroma of chicken and herbs. Holding her breath, she drank it all.She turned to the man, "Can't you be flexible? Do you really have to watch me drink it
Ever since Nina was imprisoned here, she hadn't seen any men around. Just as the girl was about to say something, the door to their room suddenly opened. Mrs. Quintana stood in the doorway and looked directly at Nina. "You, come with me."Nina frowned but got up. The girl watched Nina's departing figure with a heavy heart. She had been thinking that Nina's status was unusual, and now Mrs. Quintana had personally come to take her away. Was this the start of Nina's punishment?The girl's expression was calm, but her eyes were cold. She clenched her fists tightly. If she were to die, she would at least take Mrs. Quintana with her. Otherwise, all her suffering would be in vain.Following Mrs. Quintana, Nina remained alert. They walked a short distance before Mrs. Quintana brought her to a man. Nina immediately recognized him. It was the same man who had saved her from Mrs. Quintana earlier, known as Mr. Joker."I've brought her here. I'll be leaving now," Mrs. Quintana said hurriedly
The man on the ground lay motionless."Take him away and feed him to the dogs!" a cold voice commanded, approaching.In that moment, Nina understood why the girl would rather die than continue living here."Stop."A deep, stern voice cut through the air. The two men immediately looked over. As soon as they saw Mr. Joker, their expressions changed. They lowered their heads respectfully. "Mr. Joker."Mr. Joker walked over to the unconscious man on the ground. He knelt down and checked his breathing. "He's still alive. Even if he were dead, you can't just feed him to the dogs. Slaves are hard to come by, and the Pharaoh's death experiments haven't succeeded yet. We need to minimize losses.""Yes, Mr. Joker," the two men responded in unison, their previous arrogance and bloodlust completely gone.Nina realized that the men and women were held in separate parts of the slave camp. Mrs. Quintana managed the women, while Mr. Joker managed the men. Mr. Joker referred Micah as his boss
Nina noticed that the dark eyes staring at her were filled with hostility and even a bit of resentment. Ivy couldn't believe that after bringing Nina here to suffer, she was now being escorted around by Mr. Joker. Mr. Joker, who was one of Micah’s closest confidants and a key figure in overseeing the male slaves. An he was now letting Nina roam freely? Did Nina think she was on vacation?Ivy clenched her teeth in anger, her nails digging into her palms so hard they drew blood. Just then, her phone chimed. It was a message from Wes."Miss Ivy, Nina is now under the protection of Micah's people. He even gave her a black card for free passage."Reading this message felt like a sharp knife piercing Ivy's heart, causing a wave of intense jealousy and rage. She immediately called Wes. When he answered, she spoke coldly, "I don't care what you have to do. I want Nina to suffer so much she wishes she were dead.""Miss Ivy, given the current situation, I'll try my best. But remember,
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