"Ahem... Diego!"Diego spun around immediately. Troy and Sarah had just stepped out of his office and it seemed they were getting ready to leave."Troy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Diego was nervous and felt guilty for not knocking before entering Troy's office earlier."No need to discuss it. Ahem... Since you're both here, please prepare everything for terminating our partnership with Callista Corp!"Diego's eyes widened instantly."W-what? Terminate the partnership? But, Troy...""Then prepare the documents for Peterson Group's partnership with Johnson Corp!" Troy immediately cut off Diego's sentence.Upon hearing Troy's last words, Diego and Carrie exchanged glances. But the confusion was only momentary on Carrie's face because, a second later, she smiled and looked at Sarah. The two women smiled and nodded at each other, revealing that they had already prepared everything."Is there something you want to explain to me?" Diego felt like he was the only one who didn't kn
"Erica!" Troy immediately jumped when he saw Erica collapse to the floor.Quickly, Troy lifted Erica's body and laid her down on the sofa in the room. Erica's body felt cold and damp as Troy touched her arm."It seems Erica is really sick," Troy muttered to himself.A moment later, with a worried face, Troy hurried out of the room to inform Erica's secretary."You're Erica's secretary, right? Erica fainted inside."Seeing Troy panting and out of breath, the secretary was shocked."What? She fainted again, sir?" The secretary immediately ran to the security desk just a few meters from her desk."Sir, let's take her to the hospital. She has fainted twice today!" the secretary shouted before hurrying back to Erica's room."Sorry, Mr. Peterson. I need to take her to the hospital. We'll have to postpone work until she recovers.""Yes," Troy just nodded slightly. He was very surprised to hear that Erica had fainted twice. He also wondered why the secretary was only now taking her to
"Stop! I don't want to discuss that project here."Once again, Arnold could only take a deep breath. In his heart, he was thinking about how to win Erica over. Even though Erica was much older than him, she looked very beautiful and youthful in his eyes. Perhaps, even if Michael hadn't asked him to approach Erica, Arnold might still have been attracted to her."Hey, why are you still staring at me? Do you still want to talk about that project?" Erica's voice grew louder.Arnold was startled. The man stammered, realizing his gaze hadn't shifted since earlier. Immediately, he looked away."Tell Troy if he wants to discuss that project, he must come directly to me!" Erica's pale face looked agitated. Suddenly, she stopped eating."I want to be alone," she whispered afterward."I'll leave, as long as you finish your meal."Erica suddenly turned around, glaring fiercely. "Who do you think you are, daring to threaten me, huh?""S-sorry. I just don't want you to get even more sick," A
Slowly, Troy opened the door. He saw Erica sitting up in her bed. Her face instantly lit up when she saw Troy appear from behind the door."Troy!" Erica exclaimed joyfully. She smiled.At the same time, Sarah's phone vibrated. She had intended to enter the room, but now she had to delay it. Sarah chose to take the call first, allowing Troy to go in after she saw the name of one of the investors on her phone screen. She stepped a bit away from Erica's room to have a serious conversation with someone."So, when will that project be ready for us to start?" asked a deep, dominating voice from the other end."I'll let you know as soon as possible. When are you coming back to Jaketon?" Sarah replied casually."Soon. I can’t wait to see you, the richest girl in our school," the man on the other end laughed.Sarah laughed as well, but her thoughts were still on Troy, who was now inside with Erica."How about we continue this conversation another time? I’m actually with someone right now
"Erica..." Arnold murmured while glancing at Erica out of the corner of his eye.Erica's eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep with her head still resting on Arnold's shoulder. Slowly, Arnold moved to position Erica's head more comfortably on his chest. One of Arnold's hands supported Erica's head to prevent it from slipping. The beautiful, slender-faced woman was sound asleep, likely due to the effect of the medication the nurse had administered earlier.After leaning against the edge of the bed for quite a while, Arnold unintentionally fell asleep too. About an hour later, Erica woke up.'Arnold? Why is he here?' Erica quickly shifted her body to move a bit away from Arnold. However, because the hospital bed was only big enough for one person, part of Erica's body was still pressed against the man next to her."Hey, wake up! Are you trying to hit on me?" Erica slapped Arnold's arm hard, startling him awake."Oh no, how did I fall asleep like this? I-I'm sorry." Arnold jumped d
"Sir!"Arnold shouted as he saw Michael Lewis's head slump over the back of the wheelchair."Troy, let's get Mr. Lewis to the hospital!" Sarah shouted.Arnold looked extremely panicked. Michael's body felt very cold, but he was still breathing, which gave Arnold some relief as Michael was still conscious.With the help of Troy and Sarah, they took Michael to the hospital. Michael's assistants were already waiting in front of the main lobby elevator. This incident quickly became the center of attention among the employees of Peterson Group.Inside the elevator, Michael spoke in a broken voice."Ar-nold... you... must... promise... to always... take care of... Erica... I... can't... hold on... anymore...!""Yes, sir. I promise. Don't worry. You have to stay strong!" Arnold knelt in front of Michael pleadingly. Arnold's eyes had been wet with tears for some time.Seeing this touching scene, Sarah also shed tears. Troy put his arm around Sarah's shoulders and gently rubbed her back
"How is my father, doctor?" Erica jumped up as soon as she saw the doctor who had been attending to Michael emerge from behind the door."Mr. Lewis needs to be moved to the ICU because the medical equipment there is more complete," the doctor explained carefully but firmly."Do what's best. We will take care of everything else."Erica turned to Arnold, who had immediately taken charge. She was momentarily taken aback by the decisiveness and sincerity of her father's personal assistant. If Arnold wasn't there by her side, if she were alone right now, she might not be able to handle this on her own."Alright, please proceed to admissions then," the doctor said before returning to the examination room.Arnold nodded. As he was about to head towards admissions, he turned to Erica."Erica, would you like to come with me to admissions, or would you prefer to wait here?" Arnold asked with a concerned look at his boss. He glanced at Erica's small hand still wrapped around his strong arm.
Sarah admired herself in the mirror. The white dress she was wearing felt a bit tighter. She noticed that her belly was starting to show a small bump."Why do you always look so beautiful, darling?" Troy wrapped his arms around Sarah's waist from behind. Sarah smiled as she saw their reflection in the mirror. Her husband looked even more handsome today in his white tuxedo. Carrie had mentioned that the dress code for her wedding today was white."You look handsome too, darling!" Sarah stood on her tiptoes to kiss Troy's cheek, which was covered in soft stubble.Being called "darling" made Troy's heart flutter warmly. Sarah rarely called him by that endearing term."Just hearing you call me 'darling' makes something tense up down here!" Troy whispered in Sarah's ear."You cheeky husband!" Sarah playfully slapped Troy's arm, causing him to chuckle."Let's go!" Sarah urged, trying to free herself from Troy's embrace, which was strong enough to encircle her entire body."Not yet! I
Arnold and Erica's faces became tense as they saw the doctor standing in the doorway."How is she, doctor?" Erica couldn't wait to hear about Irene and her baby."Congratulations, sir. You have a healthy baby girl," the female doctor said, and for a moment, Arnold and Erica breathed a sigh of relief.But their faces remained anxious, as they still hadn't heard about Irene's condition."How is the mother, doctor?" Arnold asked, his voice trembling."Are you her husband?" The doctor looked at Arnold intently."Y-yes, doctor," Arnold stammered, feeling guilty for never accompanying Irene to her hospital visits."Sir, Irene's condition is... critical. We are still trying to stop the bleeding. Please pray for her."Arnold was stunned by the doctor's words. He couldn't say anything as the doctor turned and left him and Erica in the waiting room."Oh God, what kind of husband am I? Erica... Erica... Irene is critical. What should I do?" Arnold shook Erica's body in frustration."All
"Irene, are you okay? Is Arnold taking good care of you?" Erica asked in a panic when Irene contacted her. Irene's voice sounded hoarse and rough, making Erica worried."When are you coming back to Jaketon? I want you to be here when I give birth.""Wait, where's Arnold? Is he still not paying attention to you?" Erica's concern grew. She rarely received calls from Arnold, except when there was a work-related issue that needed to be discussed."Arnold... he says he's very busy with work."Erica let out a heavy sigh. From Irene's voice, she suspected Erica was in trouble. But it seemed that the heavily pregnant woman was still keeping things to herself."Alright, Irene. I'll finish my work here. I'll try to come back before you give birth. You and your baby need to stay healthy, okay?""Thank you. Thank you!"After hanging up with Irene, Erica sent a message to Arnold, urging him to be more attentive to Irene. However, Erica did not answer Arnold's calls when he tried to reach her
Sarah squealed as Troy lifted her. Her husband's strong arms carried her bridal-style toward an enormous bed. The beautiful bed was surrounded by thin yet lovely curtains, and sprinkled with rose petals that filled the room with a fragrant aroma."The doctor said we're allowed now, ahem... so, it's okay, right?" Troy gently laid Sarah's body on the luxurious and comfortable bed.Sarah smiled, her face blushing as Troy hovered over her. His face was so close to hers."I've missed you too, Troy!" The beautiful woman wrapped her arms around Troy's neck, and he couldn't wait any longer. He began planting kisses on Sarah's face, which soon turned into passionate lip-locks that he couldn't get enough of.It was unclear who initiated it, but a few minutes later, they had both discarded everything that was on their bodies. Like their first night, they were eager to satisfy each other. The intense expression of love and the deep longing drove Troy wild. He didn't want to miss even an inch o
"Honey, are you awake?" Troy gently caressed Sarah's face. She blinked, just waking up from her sleep. Sarah turned onto her side to face Troy."What time is it?""It's six in the morning. We're still going to the office today, right?"Sarah sat up. "Of course. You're going to the office too, right?""Yes, darling. Oh, by the way, how's the breastmilk stash for Kingsley? Do we have enough?""More than enough," Sarah replied, hurrying to the bathroom to freshen up. Unbeknownst to her, Troy quietly followed her into the bathroom, which she had forgotten to lock. Ever since giving birth to Kingsley, Sarah usually remembered to lock the door."Troy!" Sarah squealed, surprised to see Troy standing behind her just as she was undressing.Troy's heart raced at the sight of his wife's body, which he hadn't touched in almost two months. This morning, Troy felt bold enough to approach Sarah, especially after the doctor confirmed yesterday that she had fully recovered. She had also complete
"Are we going home now, honey?" Irene asked as she sat up on the gurney. The IV needle had just been removed from her hand. Her face still looked pale."Just a moment," Arnold replied curtly without turning to look at her, making Irene take a deep breath to ease the pain that kept gnawing at her. Since Erica left, Irene noticed that Arnold had been pacing back and forth, trying to call someone on his phone. She guessed he was trying to reach Erica, but she wasn't answering.Irene sat silently, waiting for Arnold, who was still pacing in front of her. Theresa, who had promised to return, ended up not coming back."Alright, let's go home. Can you walk?" Arnold asked as he watched Irene, who was struggling to get down from the gurney with her weak body."Excuse me, ma'am, please use this wheelchair. Your body is still very weak." An ER staff member offered a wheelchair. Irene, who had just stood up from the gurney, slowly sat down in the wheelchair. The staff then pushed the wheelchai
"Yes, congratulations again on your wife's pregnancy. If the observations go well, she can go home this evening."Arnold only nodded at the doctor's explanation. He remained silent even after the doctor left the room. What he had just heard was completely unexpected."H-honey, aren't you happy that I'm pregnant?" Irene asked in a trembling voice. Her chest felt tight, unable to find any trace of happiness on Arnold's face after hearing about her pregnancy. Instead, she saw confusion and surprise. Irene tried to suppress the sadness and disappointment she felt."Is it because it's not Erica who's pregnant?" Irene asked again, this time steeling herself to hear Arnold's response."Don't overthink it. Mom and Dad will be thrilled. I'll go out for a bit." Arnold quickly left Irene and headed to the waiting area in front of the ER.'It's only his mom and dad who are happy. Arnold isn't.' Irene clutched her chest, which felt overwhelmingly tight, trying to hold back her tears. She strug
Diego hugged Carrie tightly. His heart was finally at ease. The different traumas they had both been struggling with had finally been overcome.The same was true for Carrie. Since she had been secretly seeing a psychiatrist a month after marrying Diego, the trauma from her past had gradually faded. The beautiful woman with reddish hair had slowly been able to forget the painful memories of her past after several months of treatment. However, she was reluctant to be upfront with Diego about her recovery. She also felt too proud to make the first move or ask Diego not to leave her in bed."Where are you going, honey?" Carrie clutched her husband's strong arm one night while they were being intimate. But Diego still got up and left her."Sorry, Carrie. I-I just can't..."Carrie was stunned by her husband's rejection. She couldn't understand why Diego kept choosing to satisfy his desires in the bathroom."Should I just tell him that I'm better now? Shouldn't he realize that I'm no lon
"Why are you in such a hurry, honey? Weren't you supposed to stay here for three days?" Irene had been watching Arnold eat quickly since he left the bedroom. Her husband hadn't said much since then. The sweet words or loving gestures that should be present between newlyweds were completely absent for Irene. It was as if Arnold had already forgotten what happened last night.Arnold didn't answer. He only glanced briefly at Irene, who was sitting across from him. A few minutes later, he got up, grabbed his car keys from the table, and said, "I'm leaving. Don't wait for me!" Without waiting for Irene's response, Arnold hurried out to his car. He only gave a brief glance at Irene, who was watching him leave with an unreadable expression. But Arnold didn't care. His mind was entirely focused on Erica. He felt guilty about his first wife.'Erica, forgive me. What did I do last night? What if Irene really gets pregnant? It will be difficult to divorce her later.' Arnold ran his hands thro
Irene was still sobbing, her back turned to Arnold. She lay there, trying to endure the pain, not just physically but also emotionally. Without realizing it, Arnold had mentioned Erica's name at the end of their bedroom session, which made Irene's pain multiply tenfold.Arnold quickly fell asleep from exhaustion beside Irene. He felt relieved that the desire he had been harboring since that morning was finally satisfied. Although it was Erica he truly wanted, Irene was still legally his wife.After crying her heart out, Irene tried to get up and clean herself. Slowly, she sat at the edge of the bed, reached for her clothes, and put them on again.She remembered her mother-in-law's request earlier that morning. Drew had called her and spoke over the phone."Irene, you need to get pregnant as soon as possible! We know Arnold hasn't touched you yet. You have to make him sleep with you!" Drew's words over the phone had shocked Irene."Mom... how do you know... that I haven't been... t