Nina had not been tortured, and Ivy could not accept that. Even with Micah having sent his trusted aide, Mr. Joker to protect Nina, Ivy was confident she could ensure Nina would not leave this place alive.Pharaoh was pleased with Ivy's response. Despite her recent lie about Mr. Kerr, she had generally been straightforward. He had been too busy to spend much time with her."I'm glad you understand. When you last saw your brother, did you learn much about the people around him?" Pharaoh asked, pursing his lips.Ivy's heart raced. Why was Pharaoh asking this? Had he met Nina?"Father, why do you ask?" Ivy asked cautiously, testing the waters. After all, such questions didn't come out of nowhere."Today, I saw a woman who claimed to be close to your brother," Pharaoh said softly.Nina!!Ivy's nails dug into her palms. She was certain now that Nina couldn't be allowed to simply endure torture. She needed to ensure that Nina vanished from this world entirely after suffering unimagina
Nina pursed her lips and raised her voice, "Yes. Can you?"Mr. Joker didn't forget Micah's instructions and nodded, "Tell me, who are you looking for?"Nina replied, "One is a woman named Scarlett, and the other is a man named Scott. Can you help me find them?"She knew it would be ideal if she could personally search for them, but she also understood that the black card in her possession did not grant her that level of access. She wasn't sure about Mrs. Quintana's attitude, but it seemed more likely that Mr. Joker might help."Alright. Go back and wait. I'll inform you if there's any news.""Thank you."Nina expressed her gratitude. Despite Mr. Joker's role and allegiance, she was currently relying on his assistance.Mr. Joker was taken aback. In his time here, he had never received a genuine thank you. Most people cursed him daily. But Nina’s gratitude seemed sincere.Just then, a respectful male voice interrupted, "Mr. Joker. A new batch of slaves has just arrived. Do you wa
"I can get you out of here. I need someone who knows this place well. Have you been here a long time?" Nina placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, her expression sincere.The girl nodded. "I’ve been here for a long time. I have a resistance to some of the drugs they use. I’ve seen a lot of death, and that’s why I’m scared.""I understand. Have you ever heard of someone named Scarlett?" Nina asked. She was desperate to find Scarlett and Scott, unsure of their safety.The girl shook her head. "Only the overseers know our names. We’re thrown into this hellhole, facing constant torment and endless experiments. We don’t even have the chance to talk."Nina fell silent, realizing she was right to ask Mr. Joker for help. "You came here on purpose to find someone?" The girl wasn't naive.Nina bit her lip and replied softly, "Yes, but not entirely. If we can work together..."Before Nina could finish, the girl interrupted, "Work together? Just use your black card to get us out of here.
The man noticed her as well. Their eyes met, and Nina found his eyes striking. It was strange, because his face was unfamiliar, yet she felt a sense of familiarity she couldn't explain. But she quickly looked away.The man’s eyes, however, were full of emotion."Is he the Scott you’re looking for?" Mr. Joker asked, noticing the exchange of glances and frowning.From what Nina had said, Scarlett and Scott had been in the slave camp for a while, whereas this man, Ash, had just been brought in."No," Nina said firmly, shaking her head. The man in front of her and Scott were clearly not the same.Upon hearing Nina’s denial and the name "Scott," the man’s gaze darkened.The people in Sector A lined up, passing one by one in front of Nina, but Scott was nowhere to be seen."You’ve seen all six hundred people in Sector A. It's already late. If you want to continue, come back tomorrow," Mr. Joker reminded her."Alright," Nina agreed. For now, she had no choice. This wasn’t her territor
Being captured and brought here was bad enough. Leaving aside Micah's current intentions towards Nina, without his protection, she would have been tortured beyond recognition by now. Yet, Nash took the risk and infiltrated the place to find her!Nash cupped Nina's face, his voice hoarse, "Nina, you were taken. I can't just stand by and do nothing."So, whether it was the lion's den or the depths of hell, as long as Nina was there, he would stop at nothing to reach her.In Nash's eyes, Nina saw his determination, and her throat tightened with emotion. Nash had an entire unit, but he left it behind to find her.She recalled that before he left, Nash transferred all his assets to her, paving the way for her future."Nash, we're both being watched. You've probably already been discovered," Nina said, trying to push him away. But at six-foot-three, he stood like a mountain in front of her.Nash couldn't care less. He grabbed Nina's chin and pressed his lips to hers, prying her mouth
In the end, all he could do was silently hold her tight in his arms. Although he felt a pang of anger and frustration when he heard her mention looking for Scott. He knew deep down that Scott came here because of her. It made sense for Nina to want to find him.Now, with Nina in his arms, nothing else mattered. As long as she was safe, it was enough.Nina leaned against him, aware that they might not have a future. But at least for this moment, they were together....Meanwhile, just as Micah was about to leave to find the Pharaoh, Mr. Joker appeared before him and nodded, "Sir.""How is Nina doing?" Micah asked, his concern for her evident to Mr. Joker."Following your instructions to respect her wishes, she’s searching the slave quarters for someone. Also, a new slave caught my attention..."That man wasn't a slave. He had infiltrated the camp and wasn't ordinary. No common person would have such courage.Before Mr. Joker could finish speaking, Micah cut him off in a low vo
This starkly contrasted with the way Pharaoh bought Ivy cake and a dress, making him seem like two different people. Even when he saw Nina, he casually exchanged a few words, unlike now."No," Micah instinctively denied.Pharaoh's lips curled into a cold smile. "Then bring her to me.""Yes." The most dangerous place would be the safest. Bringing her to Pharaoh would at least keep Ivy from harming her.…Meanwhile, Seth came over to visit Ivy.Seeing him, Ivy instinctively greeted, "Uncle Seth, what brings you here?""I came to check on you."Seth kept his hands behind his back.Ivy was living better than he had imagined.Seth was not pleased. "I don't want you to be like a sheltered flower.""I know." Ivy's response was brief.Seth didn't stay long. After he left, Ivy remembered someone who had been suffering day and night."Wes, how is the woman in the secret room?" Ivy called out.Wes nodded respectfully. "Miss Ivy, that woman is still the same.""Oh, then she's of n
Nina knew she was nothing special to Micah. She was just trying to test him. Micah smiled, "I've already allowed you to search for your people. Once you find them, you can take them with you. But with the current turmoil, staying here is the safest option."His voice was soft and raspy, his gaze fixed on Nina. Behind her, Nash felt a surge of anger and a strong urge to pull Nina into his arms."Let's go," Micah said before Nina could respond. He did not mention where he was taking her, but she knew it meant being separated from Nash. Micah would not bring Nash along.Nina's mind raced. "Micah," she called.He turned to look at her, his expression waiting for her to speak."I'm not sure I want to go wherever you're taking me. Furthermore, going back and forth to search is quite troublesome."Nina knew she had no say in the matter, but she needed to test Micah's intentions. She couldn’t just go without knowing where she was headed. Micah’s expression remained neutral, but h
“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