It was a clear reality, even if she refused to acknowledge it. Everyone around her knew that Pharaoh was her biological father. Pharaoh was helping her save her child because of their blood connection. Otherwise, he would not care who she or Orion was. If they were to die in front of him, he would not even blink."Maybe we should wait outside for the results," Nash suggested, gently guiding her toward the door, worried that staying might overwhelm her, leading to unnecessary worries.But Nina was resolute. "If he’s not poisoned, then I have to stay. I’m not leaving until he wakes up."Her determination was unyielding, and Nash knew there was no changing her mind. He would stay with her, no question.Unexpectedly, Pharaoh gave Nash a look.Nash placed a reassuring hand on Nina’s shoulder. "I’ll be right back.""Okay," she nodded.Nash followed Pharaoh outside the lab. Pharaoh hesitated for a moment before speaking "Regarding Nina, I hope you can put in a good word for me. Even
Orion shook his head but held onto Nina’s hand even tighter. In the next moment, he slowly raised his hand.Nash immediately reached out, understanding what Orion wanted. The emotion welled up in Nina, and her voice broke as she spoke, "Orion, I promise you, once you’re better, we’ll go back to the place where your dad and I grew up. I’ll take you to school and pick you up every day."I’ll take you to see your grandparents. It’s nothing like the place you’ve been, with war all around. You’ll be able to play every day and eat all the delicious food you want."Orion nodded, his strained voice barely above a whisper, "Okay."Pharaoh heard Nina’s words, and though it stung, he could not blame her. He understood that Nina’s upbringing had been vastly different from the values of the Yaren Tribe."I’ll go make you something to eat," Nina said, gently patting Orion’s hand before standing up.Nash hesitated for a moment, noticing the sadness in Pharaoh’s eyes. He gave Pharaoh a meaning
"Those things are in the past. Let's not dwell on them anymore," Nash said, noticing Nina's low spirits. "Now we're together as a family, and Orion's health is slowly improving. That's what matters most." Mentioning Orion's recovery brought some comfort to Nina. Yes, instead of constantly revisiting painful memories, it was better to focus on the present.The chicken broth was ready soon after, and as she was lost in thought, Nina absentmindedly reached out to grab the hot pot."Ah!" The searing heat made her quickly pull her hand back, and she pressed her fingers against her ear to cool them down."Are you okay?" Nash asked, rushing to check her injury.As he leaned forward, Nina also looked up, and their lips brushed lightly against each other. The sensation was soft and warm.For a moment, Nash relished the warmth of that accidental touch, wishing time would freeze, but his concern for Nina's injury quickly took over."It's nothing serious, just a little red and swollen," Ni
"Bring them in immediately," Pharaoh ordered, despite his distaste for Salterra.However, given the bond between Nina and Nash, and the fact that they share a child, Pharaoh was willing to extend some courtesy to Salterra for Orion’s sake. The two nations could maintain a good relationship, but if Dominic ever dared to mistreat his precious daughter, Pharaoh would not hesitate to retaliate.......Meanwhile, Nina had taken Orion to the back garden.The pollen season had passed, and the flowers in the garden had been carefully selected, allowing her to bring her son here without worry."Mom, these flowers are so beautiful. I’ve never seen them before," Orion exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder. It was a rare outing for him.He breathed in the fresh air deeply, looking around with curiosity, marveling at everything he saw.If only he could come out every day. He did not want to be confined to a bed anymore, but he kept that thought to himself. He knew how hard his parents were
However, the pain coursing through his body made even the slightest movement agonizing. He instinctively let out a groan.Freya, who had been dozing off, instantly snapped awake. Seeing Micah’s eyes open, she was overwhelmed with relief. "Mr. Micah, you’re finally awake!"As Micah looked at Freya, memories of their battle before he fell unconscious flooded back. He recalled her fighting by his side, her anguished cries as he collapsed. And now, the exhaustion and worry etched on her face. He realized that she had been by his side the entire time.He pressed his lips together and asked in a low voice, "How’s Nina? Has my father managed to cure the child?"Ignoring the pain, Micah tried to get out of bed, determined to find Nina.Freya knew how much Micah cared about his sister. With Nina having been away from the Yaren Tribe for so many years, everyone was concerned about her well-being. But still, Micah needed to prioritize his own health."Mr. Micah, you’re in no condition to be
Freya was completely serious. If she could not be with Micah, she would rather spend the rest of her life alone. Micah was silent, just about to say something when Freya spoke first. "Mr. Micah, I’ve never seen you with a woman. Do you... like men?" She could not even meet his gaze as she asked, her voice trembling slightly.Micah’s expression darkened immediately.Before he could respond, Pharaoh strode into the room, cutting through the tension. "Good, you’re awake. Take these meds," he said, handing a small packet of medicine to Micah.Without a word, Micah took the medicine and swallowed it. Freya quickly offered him a glass of water, which he accepted. But before anything else could be said, Pharaoh shot Freya a pointed look, and she quietly excused herself, leaving the father and son alone."Salterra has sent an envoy," Pharaoh stated. "When you're well enough, I want you to handle the negotiations."Micah frowned. There hadn’t been any contact between Salterra and the Yar
The woman strode toward Nash. "I know you have a child, but the President has made it clear that the boy will be raised by him. As for your so-called wife... didn’t you and Nina divorce?""Remi!" Nash’s voice was sharp as he immediately put some distance between them. The woman before him was Remi Green, the fiancée arranged for him by Dominic. But from the moment he met her and learned of her identity, he made his stance clear. His heart was already fully committed to Nina and Orion. There was no room left for anyone else."This is just you being angry," Remi retorted. "Nina is the biological daughter of the Yaren Tribe's Pharaoh. The people of Salterra will never accept her, and even with your identity as Nash, do you really think the leaders of Birkham will approve?""My affairs are none of your concern," Nash replied coldly. He and Remi were linked by Dominic’s arrangement, but they were far from close."Why shouldn’t it concern me? I’m your fiancée! You may not agree, but tr
After his conversation with Remi, Nash headed straight to find Nina and their child. However, before he could reach them, he suddenly collapsed. The loud thud startled the patrolling guards. Given the importance of his and Nina's presence in the Yaren Tribe, the guards immediately rushed him to Pharaoh's lab.Seeing Nash unconscious, Nina's heart pounded with anxiety. She grabbed one of the guards, demanding, "What happened?"The Yaren Tribe's security was airtight, so how could this have happened? Could it be an old injury flaring up?"Miss Ivy, he suddenly collapsed. We're not sure what caused it," one of the guards replied.Pharaoh stepped forward. "Let me take a look."After examining Nash, Pharaoh's eyes widened in shock. "Nash has been poisoned. It must have been that envoy from Salterra.""What?" Nina's face turned pale.The envoy from Salterra, sent by Dominic, was clearly there to poison Nash, forcing him to return and submit to Dominic's demands. The realization hit
Yelena quickly lowered her arm, letting her sleeve fall over the mark to cover it. “It’s nothing. Here’s your cocktail. Please enjoy.” “Yelena.” Hunter grabbed her wrist without warning. He pulled up her sleeve, revealing the deep, ugly scars on her arm. His brows knitted together instantly. “Who did this to you?” The force behind it was brutal—downright inhuman. Yelena remained silent. Who else could have done this besides Liam? But she had agreed to this. She had willingly accepted Hunter’s request and entered Liam’s world. She had no right to complain. Her silence gave Hunter all the confirmation he needed. “Liam did this to you, didn’t he?” Yelena nodded. “It’s nothing. The wounds have already started healing. They look worse than they feel. Give it some time, and they’ll fade.” “Wait here.” Hunter stood abruptly and walked away. Yelena had no idea what he was doing, but since he told her to wait, she didn’t argue. A few minu
Then again, it made sense. How could a normal person possibly empathize with a lunatic? If Yelena could understand Liam, that would make her just as twisted. *For the next few days, Yelena stayed home to recover. During that time, Liam came back a few times, bringing her flowers and food. Like a child showing off a treasure, he placed the food in front of her. “Yelena, these are your favorite honey crullers. I got them fresh from the bakery. Try them and see if you like them.” “I’m not really hungry.” She didn’t want to eat anything he gave her. She couldn’t even stand looking at him. But she had made a promise. So, she had to force herself to stay. Liam’s expression darkened. “Are you really not hungry, or do you just not want to eat what I give you?” For someone like him, once he had lost his temper once, the second time would only come faster and smoother. With a heavy thud, he slammed the honey crullers onto the table. “Yes, I hit y
If Liam had been a normal person, Hunter never would have sent her here in the first place. But of course, Yelena could only think that. She wasn’t suicidal enough to say it out loud. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I was really just messaging an old classmate. If you don’t believe me, go ahead—check my phone.” She wasn’t worried. Whenever she contacted Hunter, she deleted each message immediately. She had even forged an entire fake conversation just in case Liam ever got suspicious. So, no matter how thoroughly he checked, there would be nothing for him to find. Liam narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? Then why do I still feel like you’re lying? Women like you—nothing but liars, every last one of you.” Then, he struck her again. Yelena screamed. The pain was relentless, merciless. She had no idea how long it lasted—only that by the time he finally stopped, she was barely breathing. Her body slumped against the floor
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind Yelena. She spun around, her heart hammering in her chest. Liam was walking toward her, a faint smile on his lips—but the coldness in his eyes told a different story. Memories of his past cruelty flashed through her mind, sending a shudder down her spine. She forced herself to stay calm. “Who are you messaging?” He was getting closer. So close that when he finally stopped, they were nearly pressed against each other. Then, without warning, his fingers clamped around her chin, gripping tighter and tighter. Pain shot through her jaw, and Yelena winced. “No one. Just an old classmate. I ran into her a few days ago while I was out.” “Oh? Is that so?” Liam’s voice softened, almost gentle. To anyone watching, he might have seemed like a kind, easygoing man. But Yelena knew better. He would never let her off that easily. And sure enough— In the next second, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her hea
“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