CHRISTIANI frowned as I gazed at the survey report. “So, it was all planned?” I inquired, a surprised murmur escaping me."Yes, sir," Blake replied.Tapping on the table, I turned pages of the report one by one, going through it cautiously.“A black Toyota appeared to have been trailing Dr. Granger for two days, though she may not have noticed. In fact, our assigned security detail following her failed to detect it as well. The vehicle had been parked in her neighborhood lot for two days, and the driver's face was partially visible in the security camera footage.” Blake explained."Hmm," I hummed, staring at a photo of a man. It was taken from the surveillance camera footage. His face was covered by a cap; almost nothing was visible. "But why?" I questioned myself. "Why would someone follow Veronica?”The memories of her abduction with Cadence flashed across my mind. Were both incidents related? Were those men going after her again? If so, then why hurt Zeon? Were they trying to scar
CHRISTIANThe next two days felt like a torment. At home, Mom and Celine haunted me as if they were my sworn enemies. At work, I faced new trouble with the Denstones; it seemed they were trying to get back at me since I had upset Mrs. Denstone, and not to mention Veronica, who was constantly in my thoughts. She was never tired of running around in my fucking head!Nevertheless, amidst the various challenges, only the accident investigations demonstrated measurable progress… In the last two days, we found some relations between the two incidents. It seemed it was done by the same men who abducted Veronica. The black Toyota they used in that accident had been seen near the abandoned warehouse where Cadence and Veronica had been kept.Aside from that, it was found outside the city area and has been thoroughly checked. The fingerprints matched those of the kidnappers.In the further investigation Blake did, it came out that those men were the illegal immigrants. They weren't actually traf
VERONICAI stared at the cold, selfish man standing right before me. His blazing gaze met mine, and for a moment, I was startled. They were burning, accusing, and—hurt.A displeased frown shrivelled my brows as I questioned, “what are you doing here?”Christian, however, didn't reply to my query; instead, he stepped forward, aggressively violating the distance between us, and stopped right before me when my breasts were almost touching his sturdy chest.His delating gaze swept across my face with a hard glare, “why?” He asked suddenly. “Why did you involve him in my children's lives?”I gasped at his words at first, unable to understand. But soon, I realized who he was referring to: William Denston seems to be his problem.So, he knows. Fair enough, but he has no right to question me.My expression hardened as I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my arms across my chest. “And who are you to judge?”His jaw clenched, and his face tightened. Blue eyes dilated with darkness. He seemed abo
VERONICAFoolish, Foolish Veronica. Keep getting hurt by the same man repeatedly, and yet, no shame…For years, I have considered Christian a protective father. Pressing a stone on my heart, I gave up my rights, knowing Christian would love his son above all else, or at least, I thought so.I swallowed the poisonous ache of the separation from my son and lived in a burden, thinking, at least my son was having a good life with his father. His father loves him to the fullest that no one— no one can intervene.Oh, Veronica, how wrong you were.In the end, I only realized that to Christian, Celine remained above all.Proof? Well, it's right in my hand. The mastermind behind both accidents turned out to be her, his beloved woman.I turned around to face Christian. My gaze met his indifferent, cold eyes, and suddenly, some events became clear as water…His delay in the investigation, his sudden arrival in my home just when William had taken part in the investigation, his outburst, his pains
CHRISTIANAs soon as I entered my villa with Zeon, Mom hurried toward us and hugged him. "My baby, you came!" she exclaimed. "Come on, Nana has prepared all your favourite dishes.”Zeon blinked, hesitantly watching me as he evidently fell into a dilemma.“He has eaten already.” I said blankly.Mom’s face darkened immediately, “didn't I ask you—”"Zeon, go to your room," I instructed, my tone conveying a serious and firm demeanour.He immediately obliged, and his governess followed him in haste. Once they were out of my sight, I turned to Mom. “Yes, you wanted to have dinner with him, but they had an early dinner today. Now what? Do you want to force him to have dinner again to satisfy your ego?” I couldn’t help the chilliness in my tone.Mom gasped, her eyes widening. “I- whe-en did I say that?” A frown formed on her face. “Christian, can you stop being mean to me and making me a villain when I was only trying to protect my family?”"Mom, just leave me alone and stop trying to protect
VERONICAOn the day of our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband Christian's unforgettable ex-girlfriend appeared, with her bright and seductive aura that perhaps melted my husband's indifferent heart.I, being the third wheel in their lives, watched them having a romantic candlelight dinner, which had never happened in the five years of our married life.Far worse was that my four-year-old son Zeon was equally involved in this happy picture.Zeon had not been intimate with me for the last two years, yet now, he was joyfully smiling at his father's ex-lover when Celine tried to wipe the cream from the corner of his mouth. "Zeon, who do you like more? Mommy or me?" she asked."Aunt Celine!" my little boy replied cheerfully, without any hesitation.My heart bled at the reply as my fingers clenched the brown envelope in my hand; inside was the pregnancy report I had just received.My marriage with Christian was ordained by our grandparents when I was still a baby. As a result of the move
THREE YEARS LATERVERONICAThe unexpected call of the nurse disrupted my silence, "Doctor, please come to the ward 305. It's urgent!" So, I left my chair and visited the ward.In the ward, an elderly woman was shouting at an intern, Sophie — "Who gave you the authority to become a doctor?" she shouted at the young girl. "How dare you ignore me! I'll complain about you!""You're not understanding, ma'am. This is not..." The poor girl tried to explain but was cut off."Shut up! I won't let you go! I demand to see your supervisor!"I, frowning, stepped inside and approached the agitated patient who was causing a chaotic mess in the ward for all the stuff and other patients in the ward."May I inquire about the situation?" I interjected, drawing everyone's attention. Addressing the patient directly, I stated calmly but firmly, "Madam, this is a hospital; you need to calm down.""Who are you?" she barked, giving me the once-over.Maintaining my composure, I replied with a smile, "I am a se
VERONICAMy heart trembled violently as I inhaled a shaky breath. Was it my Zeon who was unwell? And Christian was also out there?A thunderbolt broke my thoughts, along with the man's voice that echoed in my ears, bringing back some painful memories: "Please, open the door, Doctor."This time, it was another voice, far deeper and more magnificent. Three years had passed, and his voice still made my heart pound.Although I had a strong desire not to see him, the mother inside me couldn't hold back the urge, and after swallowing the hard lump in my throat, I eventually opened the door, only to meet the same cold, penetrating gaze.Christian—I stared back at him, unlike those five years when I used to look away and said aversely, "Bring in the patient; I will attend to him."Christian, however, did not move. His icy blue gaze seemed glued to me. His face was void, his cold eyes unreadable.In three years, he had not changed at all. When he didn't move, I felt slightly annoyed. "If you
CHRISTIANAs soon as I entered my villa with Zeon, Mom hurried toward us and hugged him. "My baby, you came!" she exclaimed. "Come on, Nana has prepared all your favourite dishes.”Zeon blinked, hesitantly watching me as he evidently fell into a dilemma.“He has eaten already.” I said blankly.Mom’s face darkened immediately, “didn't I ask you—”"Zeon, go to your room," I instructed, my tone conveying a serious and firm demeanour.He immediately obliged, and his governess followed him in haste. Once they were out of my sight, I turned to Mom. “Yes, you wanted to have dinner with him, but they had an early dinner today. Now what? Do you want to force him to have dinner again to satisfy your ego?” I couldn’t help the chilliness in my tone.Mom gasped, her eyes widening. “I- whe-en did I say that?” A frown formed on her face. “Christian, can you stop being mean to me and making me a villain when I was only trying to protect my family?”"Mom, just leave me alone and stop trying to protect
VERONICAFoolish, Foolish Veronica. Keep getting hurt by the same man repeatedly, and yet, no shame…For years, I have considered Christian a protective father. Pressing a stone on my heart, I gave up my rights, knowing Christian would love his son above all else, or at least, I thought so.I swallowed the poisonous ache of the separation from my son and lived in a burden, thinking, at least my son was having a good life with his father. His father loves him to the fullest that no one— no one can intervene.Oh, Veronica, how wrong you were.In the end, I only realized that to Christian, Celine remained above all.Proof? Well, it's right in my hand. The mastermind behind both accidents turned out to be her, his beloved woman.I turned around to face Christian. My gaze met his indifferent, cold eyes, and suddenly, some events became clear as water…His delay in the investigation, his sudden arrival in my home just when William had taken part in the investigation, his outburst, his pains
VERONICAI stared at the cold, selfish man standing right before me. His blazing gaze met mine, and for a moment, I was startled. They were burning, accusing, and—hurt.A displeased frown shrivelled my brows as I questioned, “what are you doing here?”Christian, however, didn't reply to my query; instead, he stepped forward, aggressively violating the distance between us, and stopped right before me when my breasts were almost touching his sturdy chest.His delating gaze swept across my face with a hard glare, “why?” He asked suddenly. “Why did you involve him in my children's lives?”I gasped at his words at first, unable to understand. But soon, I realized who he was referring to: William Denston seems to be his problem.So, he knows. Fair enough, but he has no right to question me.My expression hardened as I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my arms across my chest. “And who are you to judge?”His jaw clenched, and his face tightened. Blue eyes dilated with darkness. He seemed abo
CHRISTIANThe next two days felt like a torment. At home, Mom and Celine haunted me as if they were my sworn enemies. At work, I faced new trouble with the Denstones; it seemed they were trying to get back at me since I had upset Mrs. Denstone, and not to mention Veronica, who was constantly in my thoughts. She was never tired of running around in my fucking head!Nevertheless, amidst the various challenges, only the accident investigations demonstrated measurable progress… In the last two days, we found some relations between the two incidents. It seemed it was done by the same men who abducted Veronica. The black Toyota they used in that accident had been seen near the abandoned warehouse where Cadence and Veronica had been kept.Aside from that, it was found outside the city area and has been thoroughly checked. The fingerprints matched those of the kidnappers.In the further investigation Blake did, it came out that those men were the illegal immigrants. They weren't actually traf
CHRISTIANI frowned as I gazed at the survey report. “So, it was all planned?” I inquired, a surprised murmur escaping me."Yes, sir," Blake replied.Tapping on the table, I turned pages of the report one by one, going through it cautiously.“A black Toyota appeared to have been trailing Dr. Granger for two days, though she may not have noticed. In fact, our assigned security detail following her failed to detect it as well. The vehicle had been parked in her neighborhood lot for two days, and the driver's face was partially visible in the security camera footage.” Blake explained."Hmm," I hummed, staring at a photo of a man. It was taken from the surveillance camera footage. His face was covered by a cap; almost nothing was visible. "But why?" I questioned myself. "Why would someone follow Veronica?”The memories of her abduction with Cadence flashed across my mind. Were both incidents related? Were those men going after her again? If so, then why hurt Zeon? Were they trying to scar
VERONICAAfter taking a deep breath, I knocked on William's door in the Exclusive VIP section.“Enter.” came his cold voice that sent a chill down my spine. For a moment, I considered turning around and leaving, but—the images of my children made me stand upright.Rounding my lips, I let go of a breath, “You can do it, Veronica.” Muttering to myself, I put on my best smile and stepped inside.“Beautiful, you’re here…” William greeted me with a charming smile. Seeing him in person now, I felt rather awkward all of a sudden. It's not easy for me. After all, he is someone I would like to avoid, but alas! The irony of my fate had brought me just before him.“Hey…” I muttered, pressing my lips together, not sure how to proceed. However, he made it a little easier.“Come sit, let's talk.” He suggested, and I obliged, settling into the chair beside his bed. It seemed someone may have been here before me.“Uh—Thanks for giving me a chance to be heard.” I said gratefully.He gazed at my face,
VERONICAChristian approached us, or more accurately, Zeon, with haste. Overwhelmed, Zeon embraced Christian in a warm hug, as if they were reuniting after a long separation.I admit, I felt jealous, and my jealousy intensified when Cadence whispered "pa-pa" while looking at Christian. Seeing her longing gaze and desire for his affection shuddered me, but it is something I accepted long ago. To Christian, Cadence will never be his daughter. And Cadence would grow up knowing her father had left her before her birth.Call me selfish, but the cruelty I faced in that family, from Christian, and the way they forced me to stay apart from my son means I can never be kind again. Letting them know Cadence's true identity would only bring misfortune to me and shatter my last thread of hope. Not to mention that now he is planning to have a child with Celine…Fuck! That hurts!But, hold on—a frown creased my brows as I stared at Christian. How did he manage to come here? I mean, I didn't inform h
VERONICAFor a moment, I felt as if my world had ceased, and everything around me seemed to freeze as I watched my car tilt to the side.Cadence's fearful cry and the commotion of people burned within me, breaking me into tears of fright and loss. "ZEON!" An earth-shattering scream reverberated into the air; it was me, my anguished wail, as I felt the weight of my misfortune.“No-no-no! Please help!” I cried out, rushing toward the car with my crying daughter in my arms. “Oh God, please! Zeon!” I was shaking as I tried to look inside. “someone please help!” I cried out again.I watched my son, grabbing onto the seat tightly, trying not to slip down to the crushed side. “Zeon!” I called for him.“Mom!” His broken voice rang in my ear, making my tears flow even harder. “He-elp me.” He whispered.Meanwhile, a few people gathered there, including a police officer. “Calm down, ma'am. Please step aside and let us help him; getting too close could hurt your daughter as well.”“Mo-om, my ha-a
VERONICAI pinched my brows as I gazed at the files before me. My few days' absence had blessed me with a pile of work.Sigh—welcome back to the busy days, Veronica. Murmuring inwardly, I pulled them close and went through them.The entire day was hectic, with countless patients, new checkups, and mentoring interns; everything kept me extremely busy.Following a busy afternoon, I was only able to take a lunch break. While dining in the cafeteria, I video-conference with Zaya to connect with my children. They were engrossed in a newly released superhero film and appeared to be enjoying themselves. Therefore, I felt happy and refreshed to see their smiling faces.After hanging up, I had just finished my meal when—“Doctor Granger, Doctor Hurt has requested your presence in the exclusive VIP section.” The announcer’s voice boomed in the room, almost choking me.I gulped a mouthful of water, clearing my throat and patting my chest. I frowned, exhaling a long breath. The exclusive VIP secti