Seeing her unquestioning demeanor, a glint of satisfaction flashed in John's eyes. But just then, Tatiana let out a startled yelp. She slipped, and the medicine bottle flew from her hand. Without the cap on, the powder spilled out, drifting through the air before slowly settling on the ground."Oh no—"Tatiana quickly steadied herself, feigning shock.The butler rushed over to support her, and she smiled gratefully at him.However, John was not focused on her;his attention was on the mess of white powder scattered everywhere. His face darkened as he scolded, "You've spilled the medicine!"Tatiana, not backing down, retorted, "If the medicine is gone, just have Dr. Frank prepare more. At least I didn’t fall!"John listened to her spoiled words, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He had gone through great lengths to acquire this medication from the lab, intending for it to silently weaken Maxim. Even if he died, there would be no trace of foul play.Now, thanks to Tatiana's foolishn
Maxim found himself in a dream.He was trapped in an endless darkness, the sound of howling winds swirling around him. He walked slowly, but there was no direction, no purpose, and no end in sight.Looking around, all he could see was darkness upon darkness, and despair began to wash over him.Just then, a sudden tear opened above him, letting a beam of light shine through.Suddenly, he jolted awake.He was drenched in sweat, as if he had just emerged from water.His gaze wandered around the room, and he realized he was back in his own space. He let out a sigh of relief. Looking down, he saw a woman’s face resting by the edge of the bed, peacefully asleep.The soft moonlight seemed to favor her, casting a gentle glow on her profile.Seeing her so serene for the first time, he raised his hand and noticed a small needle in it, along with a faint bitter taste in his mouth. He was taken aback.Could it be that Tatiana had been taking care of him all this time?A strange feeling stirred w
Soon, news of the Konstantine consortium's collaboration with Sorenity Company spread throughout the country, with Maxim being the main person in charge of this partnership, drawing everyone's attention.As the collaboration progressed and the project neared completion, the two companies launched their online shopping platform—Mai —which saw its registered user count soar to one hundred million, with transaction volumes reaching billions of dollars.It became a sensation across the country.Sorenity officially emerged as a tech giant, and the strength of Konstantine consortium surged as well. Maxim's capabilities were recognized by everyone in the consortium, with senior management and shareholders beginning to trust him even more than John. No one dared to obstruct his projects anymore."Not bad at all."Tatiana smiled as she flipped through the financial newspaper. While she intended to help Maxim establish himself within the family, she knew that if Maxim lacked the skills, this
Tatiana slowly walked onto the stage and introduced herself clearly, "Hello everyone, I'm the new instructor, Tatiana Gold. You can call me Ms. Tatiana from now on."The audience erupted into warm applause.Aaron smiled and said, "Although Ms. Tatiana is around the same age as you all, she has published 20 renowned papers in just one year. She has some incredibly advanced insights in the IT industry. I believe that with her here, your skills will improve at lightning speed. I'm sure you will learn New things from her"At this, everyone turned to look at Tatiana in surprise. It was well-known that even a seasoned professor would find it challenging to publish 20 notable papers in a year, yet their new teacher had managed to do just that.Everyone couldn't help but think of a popular saying—"She could rely on her looks, but instead, she relies on her talent."Tatiana smiled modestly and replied, "He is overestimating me."After finishing his introduction, Aaron quickly left the classroo
After school, Tatiana drove back home."Madam, you're back," the butler greeted her, taking her bag.She nodded, slipping off her high heels and putting on a pair of comfy slippers. "Is dinner ready?""It will be ready shortly," the butler replied.Tatiana slowly walked into the lobby, surprised to find Maxim there.As soon as Maxim saw her approaching, he set down his tablet and fixed his deep-set gaze on her.Tatiana felt a bit puzzled by his intense stare and softly asked, "Maxim, you finished work early today?"Maxim's eyes returned to his tablet, his tone cool. "There's nothing going on at the officetoday.""Oh..."Tatiana nodded and settled onto the sofa, picking up some strawberries that the butler had prepared, ready to enjoy a little pre-dinner snack.Ever since the last time she had slept in his room, their relationship had subtly grown closer.At that moment, even without anyone speaking, the atmosphere was comfortable and warm, rather than tense or awkward.Just then, Maxi
That outfit really suits you."Maxim snapped back to reality, raising a spoon to elegantly taste the soup in his bowl as he spoke softly.Hearing this, her eyes curved into a smile.Today, Maxim was surprisingly candid.Such compliments coming from him were particularly delightful.After finishing breakfast, Tatiana grabbed her briefcase and headed for school. After walking a few steps, she noticed Maxim following her. A faint smile appeared on her lips, but she didn’t say anything.As they both reached the door, Tatiana suddenly turned around and asked, "Are you really going to see me off?"Maxim kept his pace steady as he opened the car door, replying, "Not welcome?"Tatiana thought for a moment, noticing Maxim's expression darkening. She couldn't help but burst into laughter, sliding into the car with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Well, I guess today you’ll just have to be my driver, Maxim.”Realizing he had just been played, Maxim felt a mix of irritation and amusement. No on
Anna paused, looking at Tatiana in disbelief. "What?!"With a slight smile, Tatiana repeated in a calm tone, "I asked if you're about to die?"Anna was a bit confused by Tatiana's words, silently staring at her without responding.Her striking features radiated an imposing authority as she fixed her eyes on Anna. Her voice was cold and firm, "You need bone marrow. I have it. I must save you. If I don't, it would be heartless. Isn't that a form of moral coercion?"Upon hearing this, the crowd felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck them, their anger clearing the fog of confusion in their minds. Yes, donating was supposed to be a voluntary act. Tatiana had every right to refuse; if she chose not to save Anna, it could be seen as a lack of familial loyalty.But what kind of familial bond could there be when Anna was the daughter of a mistress? Anna accused Tatiana of being callous for not helping, yet here she was, pressuring her. Was that truly about family ties?The students prese
And the author was from New York, which drew worldwide attention.The country had risen to prominence with the emergence of Z, standing above the heads of people from all nations. Everyone was eager to uncover the identity of this mysterious figure. Some even speculated that Z wasn't a person at all.In no time, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire across the globe. Just then, Z suddenly held a live stream. Although her face remained hidden, it confirmed that she was indeed a real person.Over the years, Z had published numerous papers, and people's interest in her grew daily. Yet, no one knew who she truly was or where she was located.Baret had always been a huge fan of Z, but he had previously thought that Tatiana was just a pretty face with no substance. He never imagined that Z was right under his nose, that Z was actually Tatiana. Reflecting on his earlier attitude, Baret felt a wave of regret wash over him.He quickly apologized, "Ms. Tatiana, no, no, no, Z, I really d
Three days later—The first thing Tatiana saw when she opened her eyes was a blanket of white. After a few moments of confusion, she blinked and slowly turned her head to look around, realizing she was in a hospital.Before she could take in her surroundings, she heard the sound of a door opening. Turning toward the noise, she saw Maxim walking in.When Maxim saw Tatiana awake and looking at him, he felt a rush of excitement. He quickly approached her and asked,"You’re finally awake! How do you feel? Is there anywhere that still hurts?"Tatiana slowly shook her head, wanting to speak, but her throat was dry and raspy. Instead, she looked at Maxim, hoping he would understand that she needed water.Fortunately, Maxim got the hint. He smiled at her and hurried over to pour a glass of warm water. After helping her drink, Tatiana felt a wave of relief wash over her. "I’m fine. How long was I out?""Three days," Maxim replied, his eyes filled with an emotion she couldn't quite place.Emo
With that thought, Riley quickly left those people behind.Tatiana, on the other hand, was unaware of Riley's situation. She stood facing the assassin in front of her, her expression icy."Miss, we hope you can leave this place. We don't want to harm you; we just need you to leave that man behind. We assure you, you can leave here safely."These people had been here for a long time, trying to persuade Tatiana to leave. Their boss had ordered that she couldn't be harmed, but they couldn't understand why this woman refused to budge. They had been standing there for what felt like ages.Realizing that convincing Tatiana was futile, the leader turned his attention to Mazim. "Maxim, are you still a man? Hiding behind a woman?”Maxim pressed his hand against his shoulder, his face pale from blood loss. He managed a weak smile and replied, "Better than being unprotected like you."Though he said that, deep down, he hoped Tatiana would leave soon. He didn't know how long they could mainta
Crushing the herbs and applying them to the wound, then bandaging it up was all she could do for now. After tending to his injury, he looked at Tatiana and said, "You need to get out of here quickly. They’re not after you, and they won’t chase you. Find a way back and get someone to rescue me."Tatiana replied, "By then, it won’t be about saving you; it’ll just be about collecting your body."Seeing Maxim’s pale face, Tatiana insisted, "I’m not leaving. It was my idea to come here, and I won’t just abandon you.""Why are you being so foolish?" Maxim's lips curled into a slight smile. In such a dire situation, all he wanted was for Tatiana to leave.She was the girl he liked, and he wanted her to be safe, away from this suffering. But why, upon realizing she wouldn’t leave, did he feel even more touched and reluctant to let her go?"I’m not foolish. I’m with you, and we’re married—even if it’s just pretend. We’re friends, right?" Tatiana said, helping Maxim to his feet as they slowly
The man didn’t even have time to react before he collapsed unconscious.The commotion drew attention, and all eyes turned toward Tatiana.“Run!” Tatiana shouted, grabbing Maxim’s hand and sprinting toward the nearby trees.Her shout jolted everyone awake, and the leader yelled for the others to pursue both of them.As Tatiana saw that they were about to disappear from sight, the leader at the front suddenly darkened his expression. He quickly pulled out something and fired a shot toward Maxim.Tatiana turned around just in time to witness this scene, and immediately grabbed Maxim, trying to switch places with him. But little did she know, Maxim had also spotted the bullet heading his way.The leader initially thought the bullet might miss Maxim since the woman beside him was ready to take the hit, but to his surprise, her didn’t let her take the bullet for him.“Bang—”The sound of the gunshot echoed, startling the birds perched in the trees, sending them flying off into the distance
Moreover, John had sent someone to wait for them so early. If they hadn't arrived earlier, and had waited until later to come, things would have been even more complicated.With these thoughts in mind, Maxim felt even more determined. Once they were out of here, he would make sure to pull John down from his position as soon as possible. Someone like him didn’t deserve to be in the company.He believed that his grandfather would never allow such a person to be part of the company either.The next morning, sunlight streamed through the leaves, casting bright rays that pierced Tatiana's eyes. She blinked a few times, slowly waking up.As she looked around, her mind began to piece together the events of the previous day. At that moment, Maxim also stirred awake as Tatiana shifted away from his shoulder.He had barely slept at all last night, finally drifting off only as morning approached.Tatiana stood up and checked her phone, only to find there was still no signal. She turned to Max
"The place ahead is Sylvia's home. Do you think they might not be looking for us and instead have gone to kill them?""No way, these assassins are all managed by someone. They only target their assignments and won't harm anyone else, so we need to protect ourselves first." Tatiana said this without a hint of hesitation, but then she realized that as a young lady, she probably shouldn't know about such things.Thinking this, Tatiana cautiously glanced at Maxim. His expression didn’t seem strange, so he likely hadn’t caught on to what she was implying. With that thought, she quietly sighed in relief; otherwise, she would have to find a way to explain everything, which would only complicate matters. She didn’t want Maxim to get dragged into this mess.With that in mind, Tatiana said, "Let’s stop talking about this and get out of here. We can’t stay for long, and we can’t be sure they won’t come back.”As she spoke, she tugged on Maxim's shirt and led him toward the exit. However, as she
As he spoke, Maxim glanced outside at the darkening sky. They had already wasted too much time, and they couldn't afford to linger any longer. They weren't familiar with the area, and it was best to get back to their car before it was completely dark. Otherwise, they might find it impossible to return.Tatiana understood his concerns and frowned as she looked at the weather outside. "Let's go talk to the old lady about this. If all goes well, we can leave right away. We can bring Sylvia and Marianna back with us when we return the notebook. Right now, going back is too risky."Sylvia and Marianna had only gone out a few years ago. Tatiana thought that it wouldn’t be right to leave them behind while taking Grandma alone, so her initial plan was to bring all three of them back together. However, it was clear that they couldn’t take Grandma on such a journey now. At her age, it wouldn’t be good for her to travel those long distances. They decided that once they returned the book, they
“She left when she was very young, and I don’t know much about it,” the old woman said, shaking her head as she looked at Tatiana. “But I haven’t dared to go into her room all these years, so I don’t know what’s inside. There might be something valuable in there. I have the key; you can go take a look.”Sitting on the stool, the old woman had thought it through. These two didn’t seem like bad people, and sharing this information with them wouldn’t hurt. Maybe they could even find the killer of Cordelia. After all, so many years had passed,and she had come to terms with it. The most important thing for her now was Sylvia and Marianna. So, for their sake, she decided to open the room today.Tatiana was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected the old woman to be so accommodating, but this could indeed lead to more information. Feeling grateful, Tatiana smiled at the old woman and said, “If you don’t want to go in, you don’t have to. We won’t disturb anything inside.”The old woman stood
The elderly woman knew she was putting them in a tough spot, but she felt she had no choice. This was her only hope after all these years. She couldn’t afford to send her children to school herself, so she had to push for this arrangement. For her kids, she was willing to take the risk.The old man's request was something Tatiana hadn't expected. She thoughthe would ask for wealth or something similar, but it was just about reading books? Was that all?Tatiana appeared somewhat dazed, which seemed to signal to the old man that she was reluctant to give up this opportunity. So she quickly added, "You don't have to feel hesitant. Just take her out. All you need to do is cover some necessary expenses, and consider it a loan. Once they have the ability to earn money, they will definitely come back to repay you. I promise."This time, even though Tatiana hadn't fully processed the situation, Maxim had. He looked at the old man and calmly said,"No need.""What?" The old woman was momentar