With those words, Nina was frozen in place, a chill creeping up from the soles of her feet, leaving her ice-cold and lifeless.What did Zoe say?Did Nash marry her for the shares his grandfather held?Nina's gaze went blank as she turned away, peering through the half-concealed crack to see the scene inside. She saw Zoe standing, her emotions a bit agitated, while Nash sat with his legs crossed on the sofa, his eyes showing no hint of emotion."Yeah," he simply replied.Nina's face turned deathly pale, shock evident in her eyes.No wonder he married her; it was all part of a deal.No wonder on their wedding night, he said there would be no intimacy between them, and he made her realize her status.She was just a pawn from the beginning.Once he got what he wanted, he could let go, hence the three-year contract.Zoe said, "I knew you wouldn't compromise easily, but is this fair to Nina? You're hurting her."Nash's eyes remained calm, and his lips barely moved. "I will compens
Nina was gasping for breath, letting the cold wind hit her, yet she remained oblivious to the chill as she was too consumed by her need to escape.She didn't know how long she'd been running. Exhausted, she finally stopped, panting heavily.With her hands on her knees, tears streamed down her face, falling to the ground without her noticing.In that moment, Nina realized her cheeks were soaked with tears, each warm droplet turning icy, stinging her skin.Why did it have to be this way?Why?Nina silently questioned herself, why did all the good things turn out to be lies?She believed that Nash's most tender and attractive demeanor was merely a facade of compensation and guilt.Finally, she grasped the meaning behind Miranda's words.Nash had married her only to exploit her.He showed no empathy and no hint of affection towards her.Nina sank to the ground, feeling her heart grow cold, her arms tightly wrapped around herself.She wished she had a shell to retreat into, wher
The person on the other end hesitated for a moment. "Someone did see Nina in the office, but no one was keeping watch, so we can't guarantee she was there the whole time."It was a mystery.He had once questioned Nina's suspicion.In his memory, Nina had always maintained her boundaries with him, never making any mistakes, so he didn't have too many doubts.Recalling the moment, Nina seemed quite flustered.She was the only woman who could get close to him.But he was certain it couldn't have been Miranda.Nash hung up the phone, shut down the computer, and left the study.In the bedroom, the lights were on, but Nina wasn't inside.Even her phone was left on the bed.He searched around but didn't find her, then asked the helper, "Where is Nina?"The helper replied, "Mrs. York was seen going downstairs just now."Nina was nowhere to be found in the villa, and she hadn't taken her phone, which worried Nash. He quickly made a call, "Nina's missing, find her!"---Nina woke u
"Quarrels between husband and wife happen all the time; it's just part of marriage. What's the big deal? I'll let Nash know you're in the hospital so he won't worry himself sick about you."Nina internally resisted. "Please, don't tell him.""Didn't you hear what the nurse said? You need to notify your family. Without that, you can't leave the hospital," Caleb insisted.Nina glanced at Caleb. "I hope you stay out of this."Her complexion was dreadful, and she was stubborn, but her tone mirrored Nash's. Truly like a married couple.Caleb continued, "Nash has been searching all over for you. I've already reached out to him, and he'll be here at the hospital soon."Nina pursed her lips tightly. She didn't want to, but Caleb was Nash's friend, surely biased toward him.Afraid that Nina might try to escape, Caleb kept a close eye on her until Nash arrived at the hospital.He was out of breath. Upon seeing Nina, he finally relaxed and walked over briskly. "What's wrong? Where does it
She should not be asking for anything more, but rather, she should let their relationship go back to square one. That was what she should do.Nash felt everything was normal yet somewhat abnormal. Looking at her pale face, he couldn't bring himself to question too much. Instead, he said, "Next time, don't be so reckless to run off alone. At least take your phone with you and have someone with you so I can find you immediately."Nina bitterly smiled. What was he pretending for? Was he pretending to care about her to make up for his guilt? Should she play along with his act?"I understand. I'll listen to you," Nina replied obediently.Nash took a chair and sat across from her. His deep gaze scanned her several times, ensuring she had no other issues. Then he asked, "Nina, do you remember what happened that night?"Nina asked uncertainly, "Which night?""The night I had business and got drunk," Nash said flatly, but it made Nina tense up.Her gaze rested on Nash. It had been a wh
"Nina," Nash called out to her.Nina looked up, responding, "Yes?""That woman from that night was you," Nash stated.Nina's body tensed for a moment, unable to react normally, but she quickly forced a smile, "Mr. York, are you serious? I only got to the scene the next day. I even had Taylor send clothes for you. If it were me, you would have noticed long before. I wish it were me, maybe we'd already have a child."Her casual response made Nash somewhat uncertain. But her attitude showed she didn't mind, even though he was her husband, sleeping with another woman didn't seem to bother her.His tone turned colder, "Then go find out for sure."With that, Nash left the hospital room.Nina's smile faded as soon as he left, consumed by self-doubt. Before she could dwell on it further, the doctor entered from outside and, seeing only Nina inside, asked, "Where are your family members?"Nina snapped back to attention, looking up, "Doctor, if you have anything to discuss, just tell me.
Nina remembered the day Miranda had stormed out in tears.But now, Miranda could smile at her.Being able to come to the company and leave with a smile, there must be something good happening.Nina wasn't feeling confident at the moment, and she didn't want to embarrass herself by paying attention to Miranda.Instead of getting angry, Miranda smiled. Just as Nina was about to step into the elevator, Miranda spoke, "Nina, I know, soon you won't be the same anymore. I’ll let you enjoy the limelight for a few days, it's not a big deal anyway. In the end, Nash will still reject you."As the elevator doors closed, Nina saw Miranda's victorious smile, as if she already knew that Nina would ultimately be a sacrificial lamb in the marriage.Nina's expression soured, her hands clenched into fists.Subconsciously, she looked at her belly, thinking about the child inside. She still had to hold onto hope.When she reached the office, everyone was busy working. Instead of returning to her
Her actions caused Nash to furrow his brows deeply. He retracted his hand and asked coldly, "Am I that scary?"Nina just looked at him, unable to utter a word.Her rejection of him stirred up a sense of irritation in Nash's heart. His expression turned extremely cold as he dismissed her, "If there's nothing else, leave."It took Nina quite some time to calm down after the recent ordeal. Only then could she ease herself from the shadow of what had just happened. After expecting the child, everything seemed different. She couldn't allow him to harm their child.Nina stood up, took a few steps back, and respectfully said to Nash, "I will take care of the tasks you assigned, Mr. York. Please rest assured."With that, she left the office without looking back. Her words left Nash with a displeased expression, the more he thought about it, the more irked he became.After a while, Quincy came in. "Mr. York, the meeting is still ongoing...""Get out!" Nash growled lowly.---Nina walked out, h
When Karina was a child, Mr. and Mrs. Stone barely acknowledged her, and Kieran mostly treated her as a target for pranks. Back then, he was too young for the darker thoughts he would develop later. But even then, his behavior was hard to endure. Some people didn’t become awful as they grew up. They were terrible from the very beginning. At the time, Kieran’s pranks were relentless. Sometimes, he locked her outside on purpose. Other times, he “lost” her homework, leaving her unable to turn it in and getting her punished. Then, when she came home, Mr. Stone would scold her, calling her an embarrassment. “They treated you like that?” Wilfred’s voice was tight with anger. Karina nodded slightly. “When I was a child, I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized it was because I wasn’t their biological child.” Wilfred scoffed coldly. “That’s just an excuse. If they never planned to treat you well, why bother bringing you into their home in the first place?”
After Mr. and Mrs. Stone left, the turmoil surrounding the incident didn’t settle down. Although it hadn’t been confirmed whether Karina was responsible, in most people’s eyes, she was already seen as the culprit. Overnight, she became isolated. The only person who treated her the same as before was Wilfred. Whenever gossip started circulating in the hospital, he stepped in to put an end to it, warning the offenders, “This is a hospital for treating patients, not a place for spreading rumors. If you want to gossip, find somewhere else.” Only then did the malicious comments begin to die down. Wilfred returned to his office. Hearing the door, Karina quickly wiped the corners of her eyes before looking up and offering him a smile that appeared no different from her usual one. “Dr. Wilfred, thank you for believing in me.” Wilfred studied her for a moment before saying, “If you don’t feel like smiling, don’t force yourself.” She froze. “You look awful when you fak
Drawn by the commotion, Wilfred was attracted to the scene. His brows furrowed instantly as he took in the chaotic situation.Wilfred strode over to Mrs. Stone and spoke calmly, “Mrs. Stone, please step down from the windowsill. This is far too dangerous. I’m the director of this hospital, and I assure you that we will thoroughly investigate this matter and give you a fair explanation.“If you act impulsively now, it won’t solve the problem. It will only make things worse.” As he spoke, Wilfred subtly signaled to the nearby security guards. Understanding his cue, they inched closer to the windowsill, ready to act at the right moment. Wilfred then turned to face Mr. Stone. “Mr. Stone, pressuring Dr. Karina like this is unreasonable before the matter has been properly investigated. We can’t assign blame based on one-sided claims. It goes against both the law and the principles of fairness.” Mr. Stone scoffed. “Dr. Wilfred, don’t be fooled by that woman. We saw with our own
Karina instinctively wanted to follow, but a nurse stepped forward to block her path. “Dr. Karina, you can’t leave right now. This matter needs to be thoroughly investigated,” the nurse said firmly. “I really didn’t push him! He collapsed on his own. I swear you have to believe me,” Karina pleaded, but the nurse simply shook her head without responding further. At that moment, the hospital security team arrived at the scene. They escorted Karina to an office, where she was instructed to wait for further action. Sitting in a chair, Karina hugged her arms tightly around herself, trembling. It wasn’t long before hospital administrators arrived, their expressions heavy with disapproval. Without any hesitation, they launched into a barrage of harsh reprimands.“Dr. Karina, how could you, as a medical professional, do something like this on hospital grounds? This is a serious violation of our policies and professional ethics!” “No matter what the reason, your actions could
“Jenna, have you heard? That notoriously difficult patient from the neighboring department actually thanked the staff today. I can’t believe it,” Mandy said, her face lit with surprise.Jenna chuckled and replied, “Maybe our care finally moved him. By the way, why hasn’t Dr. Karina come back yet? She should’ve finished her rounds by now.”Mandy shrugged casually. “Probably a patient with a more complex situation. You know how meticulous and responsible Dr. Karina is.”“That’s true, but it’s been so long already. I’m starting to feel uneasy,” Jenna said, frowning as a sliver of worry crept into her thoughts.“Oh, don’t overthink it. Maybe she ran into someone she knows and stopped to chat. This hospital’s big, after all,” Mandy tried to reassure her.But as the minutes ticked by, Karina still didn’t return.Jenna couldn’t sit still anymore. She stood up and said, “This isn’t right. I’m going to check on her. It’s late, and I don’t want anything bad happening.”Seeing Jenna’s seri
Karina threw out those words and ran off.The only place she could go was the hospital, where she had switched shifts to cover the night shift.Tonight, the hospital hallways were unusually quiet, with only the occasional beeping of medical equipment breaking the silence. As usual, Karina patrolled the patient ward, checking on the conditions of her patients. But then, an unexpected figure appeared before her. Kieran hobbled toward her, leaning heavily on his crutches, his gait uneven. Karina wrinkled her nose. What was that smell? It seemed to be coming from him. The closer he got, the stronger the scent became.Kieran reeked of alcohol, and his eyes were clouded with confusion and wildness. “Karina…” he slurred her name, his voice thick and indistinct. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly.Startled, Karina tried to pull away. “Kieran, you’re drunk! What are you doing here? Let go of me!” But Kieran ignored her protests. Fueled by alcohol, he ya
Kieran didn’t see it that way. “Of course, it benefits me. Look at you! You came back, didn’t you? Regretting not giving me that 40,000 yet? You could’ve saved us both the trouble if you’d just handed it over earlier.” “You—” “Now it’s 100,000,” Kieran interrupted, reclining smugly in his wheelchair. “You want the trending posts gone, don’t you? Pay up—100,000, not a penny less. Otherwise...” His voice dropped, laced with menace. “I’ve still got a few things up my sleeve.” The blatant threat made Karina’s hands tremble, her voice quivering as she spoke. “One hundred thousand? Wasn’t it forty just a few days ago?” Kieran sneered. “That was the old price. It’s 100,000 now, take it or leave it.” Karina could taste blood in her mouth. Her lips had been bitten raw without her noticing. Rage and utter disappointment overwhelmed her. This was her family. Twenty years of being with them, and all they had ever done was take. They had given her nothing in return. Her mind wa
Wilfred pondered briefly after hearing Karina's words. “I’m coming with you. Don’t rush to refuse. After what happened last time, I don’t think I need to remind you of the situation. If I hadn’t been there, leaving the Stone family might not have been so easy.”Karina couldn’t argue, especially when she remembered Kieran’s aggressive demeanor during her last visit. She took a deep breath and smiled faintly. “I’ll have to trouble you again, Dr. Wilfred.”Wilfred’s lips curved into a faint smile. True to his word, he personally drove Karina to the Stone residence that very day.As they arrived, Karina stopped at the door. “You can wait here. If things get bad, you can come in.”Wilfred glanced at her phone. “Keep the phone on you.”Karina held it up for him to see. She had already set him as her emergency contact. “If anything happens, I’ll call right away.”Prepared, Karina used the key she still had to open the door and walked in.The moment she stepped inside, Mr. Stone’s face
Karina felt the need to clarify. “It’s not because of what they’re saying about me. It’s… something else.”She left the rest unsaid, but Wilfred had already pieced it together. He had seen the trending posts online, and after hearing the truth from her a few days ago, everything made sense.The online rumors didn’t just accuse her of secretly taking photos. They delved into her past, exposing videos and photos of her working multiple part-time jobs day and night. The posts claimed she came from a poor background and insinuated that her position at the hospital was only secured by leveraging a powerful benefactor.It didn’t take much to infer that the “benefactor” in question was him.Karina’s past wasn’t common knowledge in the hospital. Even Wilfred only learned about it through her explanation. The only people who could expose such private details were her own family. Wilfred’s gaze softened with an almost imperceptible hint of pity. She had sacrificed her youth working hersel