Nina immediately realized what was happening and grabbed Nash's hand. "The poison in your body... it hasn’t been cured, has it?""I'm sorry..." Nash's voice was raspy and weak.Hearing this, Nina felt a sharp pain in her heart. "I don’t want to hear your apologies. We’re going back right now!" Nina grabbed Nash and started to pull him back. She had believed that her father had already cured Nash of the poison, especially since Nash had shown no signs of weakness. She had assumed everything was fine. But now, realizing Nash had been pretending all along, she felt a deep pain in her heart.Just as she was about to head back, Nash held her tightly and shook his head. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She wanted to return to his father for help. But if Dominic had been willing to give the antidote, he would not have let them go in the first place, not without saying a word."He won’t give it up easily. He probably wants to negotiate with us, but we—""I don’t want to negotiat
On their way back to the Yaren Tribe, Nina and Nash rented a car and sat together in the back seat. Nina kept a close watch on Nash’s condition, and fortunately, he seemed stable. However, they were suddenly stopped halfway through their journey.Nash's first instinct was to suspect Dominic's involvement.He pressed Nina down gently and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll get out and check. If things go south, have the driver keep going without stopping. Stick to our plan, but you need to stay in the tribe."If Dominic was truly determined to ignore the international scrutiny, Nash would stay behind. As long as Nina and Orion were safe, that would be enough for him.But Nina shook her head firmly. "You promised me, no matter what happens, you’d stay by my side. Now you want me to go on without you? Not a chance. Don’t go back on your word, Nash."Just as she finished speaking, a car pulled in front of them, followed by several others that kept their distance but stayed close enough to
Dominic ended the call abruptly, leaving Nash listening to the busy tone. Nash realized that Dominic was indeed someone who cared deeply about his reputation.He put away his phone and pulled Nina close. "Let’s head back and make sure this medicine is legitimate."If it was, and he was free from the poison’s hold, he could finally take Nina and Orion back to Birkham and live the life Nina had always wanted.……Meanwhile, back with Orion, he had developed a high fever. The sudden onset left Pharaoh scrambling. After a thorough examination, Pharaoh sighed in relief upon confirming that it was just a common cold and not a rejection or something more serious. However, when physical cooling methods did not bring the fever down, Pharaoh resorted to giving Orion an IV, staying by his side the entire time without a moment's rest.As Orion’s condition stabilized, even Micah, who was concerned, took it upon himself to cook chicken broth for the boy. Freya, seeing Micah busy in the kit
Micah gave her a cold, dismissive glance. "Do I owe you an explanation?"Freya's heart clenched painfully. She had no claim on Micah, no right to demand anything from him. The realization hurt deeply, but there was nothing she could do. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him, her voice trembling. "I know I don’t have the right to ask you this, but... I really want to be with you. If you... If it's true, I could help you. We could pretend to be married. I could help you keep up appearances."She clung to the belief that spending time together could eventually lead to real feelings. She was convinced that if given enough time, she could win his heart.But Micah’s expression remained cold, a hint of disdain curling his lips. "You’re giving yourself too much credit."He brushed past her without another glance, treating her as if she were invisible. Freya stood there, unable to help him with anything. All she could do was watch as he finished everything himself.Micah broug
A hint of crimson tinged with sorrow filled Freya's eyes. She had loved Micah for so many years, and the pain of unrequited love was like a dagger to her heart. Freya believed that by confessing her feelings to Micah, he might be moved by her sincerity, and she could use that to win him over completely. But she had miscalculated.Micah remained as cold as ever. His gaze, filled with an icy darkness, looked at her as if he wished to cut her to pieces."If you can't take my words seriously, don't blame me for being ruthless," Micah snarled, grinding his teeth.In that moment, he truly felt a surge of anger strong enough to kill. He despised anyone who pursued him without understanding their place. He would show no mercy, even though Freya was a woman, because he had already done more than enough for her.Freya let out a bitter laugh, never expecting Micah to threaten her with death. She wanted to say more, but Micah turned his back on her and walked away, leaving her standing there
Otherwise, people would be the ones begging them, not the other way around.Nina gently rested her forehead against Orion's and whispered in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, Orion, Mommy's back.""It's okay, Mommy." Orion replied slowly, his eyes shining brightly like stars. He loved Nina so much and wished he could stay by her side forever. How could he possibly blame her? And now, his dad was back too.Orion reached out his small hand to wipe away Nina's tears. Unlike other chubby kids, Orion was thin, with little flesh on his hands. This made Nina think of the antidote Nash had received. She immediately turned to Nash and said, "You should have Father test that antidote right away to see if it's real."If it was, that would be great. If not, they had not fallen for Dominic's trick, and they would not have lost anything. But after that, they needed to focus on treating Nash.Nash nodded. The next moment, he walked over to Nina and Orion, wrapped an arm around Nina's shoulders, an
In an instant, the crowd fell silent. The burly man's eyes narrowed, his drunkenness quickly dissipating as he asked, "You must be Micah?"Micah did not bother with words. He fired the first shot, barely missing the burly man, which only fueled his anger. The man shouted, "What are you waiting for? Kill him!" But Micah and Mr. Joker moved with such elusive speed that the attackers could not track their movements. Growing increasingly desperate, the burly man gritted his teeth, finally spotting Micah and taking aim. A twisted smile spread across his face. He was about to rid himself of this nuisance once and for all. But just as he pulled the trigger, someone threw themselves in front of Micah.The bullet tore through her body, splattering blood everywhere.Freya’s body went limp, and Micah quickly caught her, simultaneously shooting the burly man with deadly precision. Freya looked up at Micah, a faint smile on her lips. She felt content to die in his arms. Micah, however,
Micah remained silent, his lips pressed into a thin line. His usually handsome face was now shadowed with an unmistakable gloom."Do you need me to..." "No need." Before Pharaoh could finish, Micah cut him off sharply."Feelings only get in the way," Micah said firmly. "Especially for people like us. We're not suited for an ordinary life."For others, starting a family, having a wife and kids was normal. But for them, it was not.They had responsibilities to the Yaren Tribe, and their status made it impossible to lead a simple, personal life. Above all, there was the memory of his mother. After she passed, his father had been lost for a long time, and though other women had come into his father’s life, they were all reflections of his mother. She had been the one sacrificed, and now, as the leader of the tribe, Micah knew he was destined to walk the same path as his father. He could not split himself between the tribe and a family. If he had no wife, no children, then no on
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