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
"I told you, I'm not giving up on you," Nash's voice was hoarse, filled with desperation as he clutched Nina's hand tightly. His eyes, now tinged with a deep red, shimmered with the threat of tears. "Even if I have to die, I want to die in front of you. I can't leave you."Nina's heart twisted in pain. After everything they had been through, they should have been able to find peace together, yet so many obstacles still stood in their way."I know," she whispered, her voice trembling. "But more than anything, I want you to live. Nash, as long as you're alive, there's still hope. If you die, then everything really is over."In the past five years, she had witnessed too much death, and it left her with a deep fear of it. Just as Nina wanted Nash to live, he, too, wanted nothing more than for her to survive."Nina," he began, his voice a soft plea, "no matter how difficult the road ahead is, if we face it together, we can make it through. I promise, I won’t let myself die. I'll stay
"I'm not saying I don't support you being with Nina," Pharaoh began, his voice tinged with concern. "I'm just worried—""No need to worry," Nina interrupted, quickly stepping forward to join them. "No matter what happens, we'll face it together."Nash's resolve remained unwavering, and Nina could feel the weight of his determination. She had been thinking about protecting him, but he had been thinking about protecting her. If they both cared so deeply about each other, why not stand united and plan for the future together?Nina smiled softly at Nash, then intertwined her fingers with his. Pharaoh, seeing this, sighed and said, "You've made your decision, so I'll do everything in my power to support you. I won't bring this up again.""I can't cure the poison your father gave you, Nash," Pharaoh admitted, "but you can use this to your advantage, to draw him out."Pharaoh understood Dominic’s actions. As a father, he could see why Dominic would push Nash so hard. If Nash refused to
Nash was not planning to kill Dominic or let Salterra fall into ruin. Instead, he intended to wait him out and see who would fold first.Nina, however, decided to approach things differently. She made sure Dominic received his meals on time, even though his attitude toward her was cold and dismissive."You think bringing me food is going to change my mind about you?" Dominic sneered with his tone full of sarcasm.Nina remained calm. "You’re his father. I don’t want to see you two at odds like this. If you’re willing to talk, we can talk. If not, at least eat."She did not understand why Dominic treated her with such disdain when she had not wronged him.As Dominic studied her, he could not help but notice how different she was from Pharaoh, who had once been consumed by his experiments and ruthlessness. Nina and Nash’s relationship, too, puzzled him.Finally, Nina spoke again, her voice measured and calm. "I know what you’re thinking. You believe that the fiancée you chose for Na
Orion was receiving treatment in Pharaoh’s lab, where he would be safe. But Nash’s situation was different. Over the past five years, Nina had honed her survival and self-defense skills. She would not be a burden. She wanted to face life and death together with him.Nash gently patted her head, his voice full of affection, "Alright."On the third day, Dominic finally caved. While Nash and Nina could relentlessly press him, he could not afford the time. Back home, many were eyeing Salterra hungrily. As the president, he could not stay away from his country for too long.He handed Nash the antidote. "Your two brothers would kill to be in your position, but you’re throwing it all away. You’re just like your mother!"Mother? That word felt foreign to Nash. The only mother he had known was Sally, and he had always wondered why she was so cold towards him. It was not until he overheard a heated argument between Sally and William that he learned the truth that he was not her biologi
"Why don't we send troops to attack the Yaren Tribe and bring the Third Prince back?" "Even though Nash and Remi haven't held an engagement ceremony, everyone knows they’re engaged. Now that Nash refuses to return, where does that leave our Remi’s reputation?" ......Everyone had something to say, one after the other. Dominic pressed his lips together, his voice icy, "There's no need to create another enemy right now." "But we have heavy weapons at our disposal. What do we have to fear? If it comes down to it, we could start a world war!" "Exactly! If we don't strike back, others will think Salterra is weak. Even the Yaren Tribe has already shed its wolf’s skin." "I think the real problem lies with that Yaren witch. If we eliminate her, wouldn’t that solve everything?" Dominic remained silent, his expression cold and indifferent. However, he could not deny the truth in their words. The fact was, Nash had not returned, and now Remi was the target of gossip. Th
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