Zara froze for a second and then looked up at him. "So what? They're not that hard to find. Every big hospital has them.""Different hospitals have different doctors, and they all have different results. What did your doctor say the chance of infection was? 50%?" Yosef asked without much emotion. "Well, my doctor says it's 10%."Zara gasped. Just 10%!Sharon's doctor, a top director in Starville, could only get the infection risk down to 50%.Yosef's doctor could boost her mom's survival rate from half to 90%.90%!"Ms. Lowry, I'm not trying to threaten you or stop you this time. I'm actually giving you another choice." Yosef let go of her. With a tap of his long fingers, the elevator doors swung open again."It's up to you."Zara stood alone in the elevator, her hands automatically balling into fists.Yosef acted like he was giving her a choice, but she really did not have one.Sometimes, she truly could not stand some of the things Yosef did.He was ignoring Beatrice, and
Sarah rushed back to the hotel and sprinted to the conference room. She flung the door open while yelling."Oh no! Ms. Lowry is missing!"Everyone was just finishing up their work for the day when they all turned to look at her.Stanley stood up quickly. He had just come back from the lab.He had hoped to see Zara when she got back from work, but instead, he was hit with this awful news!"What are you talking about?!"Sarah, pretending to be very worried, explained, "We went to a few places today to gather data. When we were done and about to head back to the hotel, Ms. Lowry said she needed to use the bathroom. "The driver and I waited for her for half an hour, but she never came back."I knew something wasn't right. I checked the bathroom, and it was empty! I tried calling her, but her phone was off! I looked all around and couldn't find her, so I came back to get help. We need to find her fast!"Stanley asked right away, "Where?""The base on Pine Crane Road."Stanley to
"Did I ever say I needed you to meddle in things for me?" Yosef did not stick around to argue. He rushed out of the stairwell.He pulled out his phone to call his driver.Sarah ran after him. "You don't get it. Women love a hero's rescue. Wait another hour until she's all alone and frightened before showing up. She'll melt and take you back for sure.""Come to the hotel entrance to pick me up," Yosef said and quickly hung up. He pushed past Sarah, who was in his way, and hit the down button on the elevator. "You need to learn some manners. Tomorrow, you're going back to your parents."Sarah's face went pale. "I'm trying to help you! How can you be so ungrateful?!"Yosef just stared at the elevator doors, his face cold and distant.Sarah, worried he might actually send her away, protested, "I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if it wasn't to help you!"When the elevator came, Yosef stepped in without a word and headed down."Drive to the eastern woods," he said....
The assistant glanced back just as the car drove into a tunnel. The man's face was hidden in the shadows, making it hard to see clearly.All she could make out was his hands resting on his knees. He casually flicked a lighter on and off.The lighter was plain silver-white, with no fancy patterns or brand names. It was just a simple, old-school flip lighter.The only thing that stood out was the orange gem at the bottom. It shone like the last glow of a sunset.It did not seem to fit someone like him, but he had kept it close for years, never once letting it out of his sight.After driving out of the tunnel, the masked driver checked for traffic. It was all clear, so he floored it and zoomed toward the eastern woods.The woods were thick with bushes, blocking the car's way. They had no choice but to leave the car and walk.The assistant, Sadie Sanchez, was all business in her leather outfit and short boots. Her hair was styled to match the rest of her outfit. She and the masked m
Zara jumped to her feet and grabbed a stick lying nearby, swatting at the grass.There was nothing there.The night breeze made the leaves whisper. When Zara looked up, the shadows of the trees looked like weird, wavy hands.The longer she watched, the more the murmuring leaves sounded like a woman's scary whisper.Her head was filled with scenes from all those spooky movies she knew were just make-believe, but they still sent shivers down her spine.If one stayed in a creepy place like this for too long, one could scare oneself silly without anything even happening.Zara tried to hug the tree in front of her, thinking she could climb up and spot some lights to find her way out.The tree was a tall, skinny cryptomeria with no branches to grab onto, though. She barely got a meter up before she fell, landing so hard that her tailbone hurt.At least the pain took her mind off being scared.Zara tried to look on the bright side, thinking her fall was not for nothing.Suddenly, sh
Then, an even louder call for Zara drowned out Nord's voice, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He was right on the edge of the darkness.Zara, who was running, looked up in alarm. Was she hearing things?Did someone just call out to her?"Zara!"There it was again, a call. It had to be for her.Zara stopped and spotted two sets of headlights coming closer. In a flash, the headlights turned into blinding beams, lighting her up from dozens of yards away.Like a sudden ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds, Yosef appeared.The forest was huge, with many paths to choose from. However, without any signs, they could only guess which way to go unless a local showed them the way.Yosef was really lucky. He found the main road and parked his car not far from Zara, about 20 or 30 meters away.When the two men saw people coming, they looked at each other and quickly disappeared into the trees.Zara had not realized she was so close to the right path. She had been walking in the w
A bunch of strange-looking people came out of nowhere, swarming around. Charvi, just a regular secretary, was pretty scared."What are you doing? I'll call the cops if you come any closer!"When she threatened to call the police, the villagers charged even faster, yelling, "Catch them!"Zara sensed trouble and tried to get down from Yosef's back, but he would not let her. He held her tight and kicked away a villager who charged at them."Yosef, you have to let me down!" Zara pleaded."You think I can't carry you to safety?" Yosef said, glancing at her while ducking a swinging stick.They were outnumbered, and it was clear they could not get away like this.Zara grabbed the car door and yelled, "Get in the car!"Yosef pushed away another villager, spun around, and helped Zara into the back seat. Charvi quickly followed.The moment Yosef made sure Zara was safe, she spotted a stick hurtling toward them. Her eyes flew open. "Yosef!"The stick slammed into Yosef's back. He let ou
The night air was cool and misty, creating ghostly shapes under the streetlights.Zara said calmly, "I'm not a doctor. Showing me won't help. You should really see a professional, Mr. Webb."She ignored his playful suggestion.Yosef let out a huff and watched the light play across Zara's face by the car window.She was wearing his oversized coat, which made her look even smaller and more delicate.Her hair was a mess, and her face was still pale. It reminded him of how she looked on a rainy night three years ago.He looked away and muttered, "Still the same."Zara knew he was talking about her but did not ask why. She just said, "Ms. Weber meant to hurt me today.""So, you want me to make it right?" Yosef turned up the heat in the car, filling it with a comforting wooden scent."No, I just wanted to tell you, Mr. Webb."Forget the fact that Sarah was connected to him; he might not even help her if she were a complete stranger.Zara just wanted to give him a heads-up about wh
Harper's kisses were always teasing, intentionally awakening her senses.Their tongues tangled, taking her breath away. When she felt like she could not breathe and instinctively grabbed at his shirt, Harper let go and kissed his way down to her chin, neck, and chest.She could not resist him.Shelby was torn. She did not have to hold back her body's needs and reactions, especially since they could not end their marriage just yet. He was her husband, after all, so why should she deny herself? She decided to make the most of it.Men could easily separate love from physical desire, and women could too. Shelby did not think that accepting Harper's touches meant she liked him. It was just about meeting a need.She would just get that over with.Shelby's fingers gripped the sheets tightly as Harper kissed her growing belly. She was six months along, and her belly was a little bigger. The thought of their child made his heart melt, and he kissed her several more times before suddenly s
Shelby made a sound of agreement, her back sore from sitting too long. She leaned back against Harper without much thought. She was busy with her work and not in the mood for conversation.Harper quickly got the gist of the case file. In short, it was a classic example of someone facing the consequences of their own actions.In the western part of Starville, there was a middle school and a vocational school. The two schools were just a street apart. Not all, but at least 80% of the vocational school students were troublemakers.One of those students, Yered, often rounded up his gang to shake down the middle school kids for their money.Since last year, the bullies had been targeting Steven Scott, a middle schooler. They would often demand money from him. Steven was shy and scared, so he never stood up to them and just handed over the cash.However, this time, as he was walking with a girl from his class, the bullies blocked their path again. They started to pick on the girl becaus
Samantha was really happy. She lifted her finger elegantly and said softly, "One step at a time. First, we'll make sure the child is gone. Then, we'll push them to divorce, and in the end, when she's weak from losing the baby, we'll take care of her." If Shelby died as Harper's wife, then Harper would get everything, and that would be bad. The two women agreed. While reclining on their bamboo chairs, they started dreaming about their perfect future—one with the Young family and the other with all the money. Since the foot masseuse could not hear or speak, they talked freely, not worried about anyone overhearing them. After the massage, they even went to eat together. The masseuse quietly cleaned up and tidied the room. Then, she headed straight for the lookout point. The resort was in the mountains, with lots of trees and streams. The lookout was up high, with a great view of all the little mountains. It was a beautiful spot that every guest at the hotel made sure to visit.
Adalee was doubtful. "Is it really that serious? Our husband doesn't like that dowdy wife or the eldest son. Even if he's started to favor Harper more because of his marriage to the Lambert family, that still won't affect our children.""Our husband used to leave the company matters to our sons, but now he's handing them over to Harper. Who knows what the future holds?" Samantha said with a hint of malice. "We can't take that risk. We can't let Harper get too much leverage. We can't let him and his child have too great a chance to win."Adalee could see Samantha was desperate and asked anxiously, "What are you thinking of doing? She's a lawyer. She knows the law, and she's the sole heir to the Lambert family."Samantha's eyes suddenly became slits. "That's right, she's the only one who will inherit the Lambert family's fortune. With that kind of money, there are loads of people who want to trick her or get their hands on it. "She's a lawyer, not a superhero. Just wait. I'll make
It was Shelby's first visit to the Youngs' place, and by chance, she walked in on his father's so-called second and third wives being snide to Harper. His dad had not lifted a finger to help. It seemed like this was not a one-off occurrence.Was that the way they always treated him?Harper, taken aback by her blunt question, nearly slammed on the brakes. What?"Me, being pushed around in the family? That's just because I can't be bothered..." Who would waste their time arguing with a bunch of women or stoop so low as to fight with their dad's other women? That would be so embarrassing, right?However, he stopped himself mid-sentence.Because he suddenly realized that by saying that, he was making it sound like he felt bad for being 'picked on' at home.Harper slowed the car down and glanced at Shelby. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and she looked really serious. She was definitely not happy.He almost smiled, but he pushed it back down. He swallowed hard and changed his voi
She faced Samantha, not bothering to argue about inheritance rights. "You still haven't answered my earlier question. What does 'stepmother' mean?"Caught off guard by the sudden shift back to the topic, Samantha was momentarily speechless.Shelby did not wait for her to catch up. She pulled out her phone and quickly tapped the screen."Ah, I see," Shelby remarked, glancing at her phone. "According to this, 'stepmother' used to refer to a concubine in ancient times. That's similar to a servant, isn't it? So, in modern terms, it's like a maid. "Got it now. Would you mind getting me some salad? Thanks."The nerve of her, treating Samantha like a common maid! She had never been so insulted. "You!"Shelby set her phone down and met her gaze. "Since you're so curious, I'll fill you in. In the Lambert family, my word is law. If you're ever curious about me again, just ask me directly. No need to rely on rumors."Samantha bit her lip and looked to Gilbert for support, but he just sat
It was Shelby.Pregnant and in flats, she stood firm with not a hint of weakness about her.Her steady gaze fell on the two women who fancied themselves important, leaving them at a loss for words.Harper paused for just a moment, then quickly got to his feet and hurried over. "Dear!"The Young family's house was bright and airy. Harper's eyes sparkled with the unexpected joy of seeing Shelby, who had said she would not come. His face lit up with a smile.Shelby watched him, amused. She thought he was like their excited Shiba Inu, dashing over at the sight of its owner.Harper reached her side, calling out again, "Dear."Shelby gave a small nod. "Yeah."The guests at the dining table snapped out of their surprise, and Wrenley beamed. "Shelby, you're here."Shelby greeted her parents-in-law, "Mom, Dad."Wrenley hurried over to help her, her actions showing just how much she cherished her daughter-in-law.That was Shelby's first visit to the Young family since her wedding. She
Harper waited until Wrenley had said enough, andthen he spoke up."I just don't get you. Your family's loaded, my grandparents are laidback, and Dad doesn't even like you. Why stick to him? Just divorce him, take half his stuff, go home, and hang out with some young models. "That'd be way better than sticking to a lost cause. You've got no ambition."If it were Shelby, she would have left by then if he had not trapped her by getting her pregnant and holding something over her head. Why couldn't his mom be more like his wife?"In your dreams!"Wrenley, with tears in her eyes, scoffed. "The Young family wasn't always so fancy. I married him, and he promised me the moon. 'A good wife helps me reach my dreams, and I'll pay her back in gold.' And then what? "Once the Young family made it big, he just kept bringing in more women and their kids. How can I accept that? I'll fight him to the end, even if it kills me!"Harper sighed. "You want to fight him, I don't. Shelby and her baby
"An old friend?" Zara questioned. "If an old friend wanted to see me, they should be visiting the cemetery, not here."Only a very few people knew she was still alive.Shawn asked, "Is it a man or a woman?""A young man. He also said something else...""What did he say?"The butler hesitated, then relayed, "He said... The miss tricked him, and now she owes him for it."Zara was speechless.The garden fell silent for a moment, with only the whisper of the summer wind rustling through the flowers.Seconds later, Shawn set aside his tablet and smiled slightly. "Really? That sounds fun. Get him to come in. I'd like to meet him too."Zara had thought it was just a joke, but when the butler led the visitor in, she stood up in astonishment.It was him!...In Parnova, the sun shone brightly.However, in Starville, the weather was turning.The sky had been clear when Harper left home in the morning. However, when he reached the Youngs' place at noon, he saw the sun hidden behind