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,
The man squinted, "Who are you?"In his team, everyone had clear responsibilities, yet here was Nina, walking around freely with a black access card in hand.Nina felt a bit nervous. Anyone with privileges in Pharaoh's territory had to be important. She didn't know this man's rank or his intentions, so she needed to stay vigilant. "I'm with Mr. Micah. I just arrived and I'm getting familiar with the area."She hadn't seen Scarlett in the slave camp, nor did she know where Scott was. Her current goal was to find them while ensuring her own survival, starting with understanding her surroundings."One of Mr. Micah's people, huh," the man repeated."Yes. I have other things to attend to, so I'll be going now," Nina replied politely, hoping to avoid further interaction. She stated her affiliation, assuming the man wouldn't trouble her.The man didn't respond, simply watching her. His gaze lingered on her face, her eyes, and her retreating figure. If she had been wearing a white dress
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