***Maximilian sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Anastasia, who was fast asleep. Her face looked pale, even in the sleep that should have given her peace, the woman's eyebrows remained furrowed, as if carrying a burden too heavy for her alone.Unconsciously, Maximilian's hand moved to caress Anastasia's cheek. Her skin felt cold, and there were dark circles under her eyes that clearly showed how tired she was. He knew that Anastasia had many wounds - not only physical ones, but deeper ones as well."Why are we meeting now? If we had met before, I would have taken good care of you." Maximilian murmured softly, his fingers still caressing Anastasia's cheek. There was a sharp pain in his heart when he saw that she was not well. He could not bear to see Anastasia hurt like this, hurt by people who should not touch her life.Gently, Maximilian moved his face closer and kissed Anastasia's forehead. A wordless promise was spoken in his heart. "I will avenge them, Anastasia," he whispe
***Anastasia awoke with a rare sense of comfort. Her sleep last night had been deep and peaceful, as if all the nightmares that usually haunted her had vanished. She stretched lightly on her bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders.As she started to get up, her gaze suddenly landed on the figure next to her. She froze for a moment and held her breath. Maximilian. He was lying next to her, sleeping peacefully, as if he were part of her softest dream. Immediately, the memories of the previous night flooded back into her mind. Anastasia remembered herself trembling with fear, crying in Maximilian's arms. And even more, she remembered begging him not to leave, to stay by her side."Foolish Anastasia," she murmured, lightly tapping her own forehead. She shook her head, slightly embarrassed as she remembered how vulnerable she had been in front of Maximilian.But despite her embarrassment, a warmth spread through her chest as she looked at his face so close to hers. Maximilian's face,
***At the Kingsley family's main residence..."Why did Maximilian suddenly cancel the family dinner? This is very unusual; he's never broken a promise before," Selene murmured.Selene sat gracefully on the elegant sofa in the living room, her delicate hands holding a cup of tea. Her thoughts were confused. Tonight was supposed to be important. Maximilian, her son, had promised to attend the family dinner. More than that, her long-absent husband was finally coming home. Tonight was supposed to be a moment of reunion - a complete family gathering. But out of nowhere, Maximilian canceled his plans without giving a clear reason.Selene let out a short sigh and looked at her reflection in the teacup. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Maximilian wasn't the type to cancel appointments lightly, especially when it involved his father. The living room door slowly opened and Bryan, the ever-reliable Noire family assistant, entered with his usual calm demeanor. His face,
***"The star is very beautiful tonight, yes. But it's lonely," Anastasia whispered, then she looked at Maximilian, who was also staring at the night sky, "you're not lonely? You live alone on the streets, do you ever think the world is cruel to you?"Maximilian smiled, "I never think the world is cruel, we should control the world, not the world controlling us. I always want to be the best and everything has to be perfect." He paused for a moment, then continued, "I just hated myself for being too focused on my perfection without seeing that the person I loved needed me, I ignored her and thought she was fine because she was always smiling.""This is the sister you told me about?" asked Anastasia.Maximilian nodded. "Yes, my only brother, and my lifelong regret is that I ignored him until he left because he kept his wounds to himself. If I could turn back time, I would go back to the day my sister left. I regret it, but that regret will never bring her back to us."Anastasia looked a
***Jonathan sighed because Bryan had called him tonight and his young master's request was very strange: He wanted him to be an employee and he was the boss. He felt insolent that Mrs. Selene would find out that her son was a restaurant employee."Jo, why do you look so confused?" asked Steven, her brother."Bryan called me earlier," Jonathan replied."What's going on, is Aunt Selene going to book another restaurant? Wouldn't you like Aunt Selene to come over?""Not that. It's Maximilian," Jonathan replied."What's wrong with him? Are you making him angry?" Steven asked."No, no. He asked me to put on a play tomorrow morning, he's going to pretend to be an employee of the restaurant and do you know what it's about?"Steven shook his head."It's about a woman. I was surprised that he could finally be interested in a woman," Jonathan chuckled.Steven was silent, also surprised that Maximilian was willing to pretend to be an ordinary employee for a woman."After ten years he came back t
***Maximilian stopped in front of Anastasia's apartment door. The sound of the door closing softly behind them, but the silence of the night seemed to heighten the intensity of this farewell."I'll sleep at the restaurant tonight," Maximilian said, his voice low but firm. "I probably won't be home for two days."Anastasia, who was opening the door to her apartment, turned her head quickly. Concern immediately appeared in her eyes. "Is there a problem, Max?" she asked with a worried look on her face.Maximilian just shook his head slowly. "There's nothing to worry about. The restaurant will be busy tomorrow, so we all have to work hard. We have a very important guest."Anastasia nodded, although she still looked a little worried. She knew that Maximilian was a very responsible man, but two days without coming home sounded exhausting to her. "All right," she replied slowly, "don't forget to eat."Maximilian smiled slightly. "Of course. If anything happens, you know who to call."Anasta
***Anastasia stood at the entrance of Athena Records, a grand and classical building nestled in the bustling heart of the city. Her heart raced. This was a defining moment for her. Today she would meet Christian Idzes, the renowned music producer known for being extremely selective about the artists he worked with.Next to her, Lyra smiled encouragingly and gently squeezed Anastasia's shoulder. "You're going to do great, Anastasia. You have incredible talent and I'm sure Christian will see that."Anastasia managed a small smile, though the nerves still clung to her. "Thank you, Lyra. I just hope what I've prepared is enough to impress him."They entered the elegant building, passing through a lobby decorated with posters of albums produced by Athena Records. The weight of names like Christian Idzes was palpable here, dominating nearly every corner of the room. The pressure on Anastasia's shoulders grew.After passing through several layers of security, they finally arrived at Christi
***It was a quiet night when Anastasia entered her apartment on the 15th floor of a skyscraper overlooking the city center. Her head was full of plans for the future after meeting Christian Idzes, a major producer who gave her new hope for her music career. But her peace was soon shattered as she approached her apartment door and noticed something strange.Her apartment door was open.Anastasia felt her heart race. With quick but careful steps she approached. When she reached the door, she was shocked to see her belongings unceremoniously thrown out, scattered in the hallway. The closet was open, her clothes piled haphazardly on the floor. Her laptop sat on one of the chairs outside the door."What the hell?" she cried in panic. "Who would dare do this?"Her eyes searched for someone responsible, but there was no answer. She picked up her cell phone with shaking hands, ready to call building security or even the police."I'm going to report this!" her voice was full of emotion, but b
***The restaurant looked ordinary from the outside, but inside the atmosphere began to change when a woman with a big hat and sunglasses sat in the corner. She ordered food like any other customer, but something was different. Anastasia Noire, the famous singer, arrived without any announcement.A new waitress who took the order didn't realize who the customer was at first. "Probably just a rich customer" who wanted to have a quiet lunch in this restaurant, she thought. But when she looked more closely, his face immediately turned pale. She knew that face - it couldn't be wrong."Oh my, this is... Anastasia Noire, right?" she whispered to herself, her hands shaking slightly as she took down the order.The waitress walked quickly to the kitchen, her face still showing surprise. Once there, he immediately spoke excitedly to his colleagues."Hey, do you know who's outside? Anastasia Noire! The famous singer!" he shouted in an almost whispered but enthusiastic voice.The kitchen immediat
"So pretty," Leon murmured, sitting on his living room sofa, phone in hand, eyes glued to the screen. He was watching a video that had gone viral, presumably of Anastasia performing a stunning new song. Her powerful, emotional voice and flawless performance left Leon speechless for a moment, mesmerized by the talent he once knew so well.However, the serene atmosphere was suddenly shattered when Elora, his girlfriend, entered the room. Her eyes immediately fell on Leon, who was looking at something on his cell phone. Without warning, Elora snatched the phone out of Leon's hand with a quick movement."Elora, give it back!" Leon was startled and tried to get his phone back, but Elora took a few steps back and stared at the screen with an angry expression on her face.Elora's eyes lit up when she saw who was in the video. "Are you still praising him?" Elora asked sharply, her voice shaking with emotion. "Why?"Leon sighed heavily. He could feel the tension growing. "I just like the song,
***Are you still going to hide?" asked Anastasia."Why do you ask that?" Maximilan asked back.Anastasia looked at him for a moment before deciding to answer. "Max," she called softly. "What's wrong?"Anastasia took a long breath and looked at the man with a determined look. "I want the world to know who my husband is."Maximilian was stunned. He stood rigidly, staring at Anastasia with a look in his eyes that was hard to interpret. "Husband?" he repeated the words in a surprised tone. "You want to admit that I am your husband?"Anastasia smiled sweetly, trying to hide her nervousness. "You are my husband, aren't you?" she replied, her tone light but clear.Maximilian looked at her more closely. "Aren't we only married by appointment?" he said flatly, though in his heart he was very happy.This remark made the smile fade from Anastasia's face. She was silent for a moment, disappointed by Maximilian's words. Then what is the meaning of the kiss we have been sharing all this time?" sh
***News of Anastasia Noire is currently the hottest topic on social media and entertainment news channels. Her mysterious thirty-second snippet of the song continues to trend at number one on various platforms. Shortly after, a photo of Anastasia having a serious discussion with renowned music producer Christian Idzes went viral. This seemingly unexpected collaboration immediately got the public excited and even fueled speculation that they would be releasing a joint music project soon."This will be the most amazing collaboration in music history," wrote one user on Twitter. "Christian Idzes is the best producer in the world and Anastasia Noire is the most talented singer. The world is not ready for this!"All of social media was filled with reaction videos and comments from excited fans. Everyone was talking about these two big names, and no one doubted that their collaboration would be one of the biggest projects in the music industry.At the same time, things were far from peacef
***Selene sat in the living room of the Kingsley family mansion with a smile on her face. Her heart warmed as she imagined the mansion once again filled with the sound of children's laughter running down the long hallways, bringing her long-awaited happiness. She imagined her grandchildren playing in the spacious backyard, running around in the garden she lovingly tended. Everything felt so close, like it was only a matter of time.Selene raised her cup of tea and looked at her husband, who sat across the room reading the newspaper. "I can't wait to meet our future son-in-law, Shayne," she said in an excited tone. "Our son is finally a normal man. He's finally found his sweetheart! When is Maximilian going to introduce her to us? I'd love to take her shopping and sightseeing."Shayne put down the newspaper and looked at his wife with a small smile on his lips. His face, always tense and full of responsibility, looked more relaxed this time. "I'm relieved too, honey. I can tell by the
***Anastasia opened the door to her new home and invited Lyra inside. The minimalist yet elegant living room, with a stunning view of the city from the large windows, immediately caught Lyra's eye."Wow, Ana! This place isn't as big as the old apartment, but it's so cozy!" Lyra exclaimed as she turned around to admire the apartment's decor. "Who picked this place for you? It's in a great location. It's very close to Athena Records."Anastasia smiled slightly and closed the door behind them. "It wasn't my choice. The apartment was rented by Max," she replied, taking off her coat and hanging it by the door. There was a reluctant tone in her voice, as if she didn't want to say too much.Lyra looked at Anastasia with a questioning look. "Max? You mean your mysterious husband? The man I've never seen before? He seems to be more than just an ordinary husband, doesn't he? I wonder why this man always brings you unexpected happiness."Anastasia took a long breath. She knew that this conversa
***Inside the Athena Records meeting room, the tense yet professional atmosphere is palpable. Anastasia sits across from Christian Idzes, one of the most influential music producers in the industry. The room is decorated with awards on the walls, showing how successful Athena Records has been in producing big stars. But Anastasia's situation was far from ideal. The public was still skeptical of her after the various scandals that had rocked her career.Christian looked at Anastasia with a serious look, his hands folded on the table. "I've heard some demos of your new song," he said, his voice calm but sharp. "There's potential there, but I have to be honest, Ana. These songs aren't strong enough to change the public's perception of you yet."Anastasia swallowed, trying to stay calm even though the criticism felt heavy. She knew that this was not an easy time for her. "I understand, Christian," she replied quietly. "But I promise I'll make it up to you. I don't want to disappoint you
***"Is the food bad?" asked Maximilian.Anastasia shook her head, "It's very good. It's probably the most delicious food I've ever had," she replied with a faint smile."Why is that?" asked Maximilian curiously."Because I've forgotten what it's like to have someone cook for me with sincerity. In the past, it was always frowned upon because I was a star, it was served only to curry favor with me. Now there's you, you even asked me in detail what foods I avoid. No one has ever asked me so many questions, least of all my mother," Anastasia retorted, her voice choking."Eat, I promise I'll make the food you like as long as you eat it," Maximilian said."I should cook for you, a woman should be able to cook, right? If I want to try cooking, would you like to taste it?""Of course, with pleasure. I can't wait to see how a star cooks for a simple man like me," Maximilian said.Anastasia finally smiled, "You are a wonderful man, Max. I'm not a star anymore either, they say I'm a fading star
***Steven sat on the edge of the bed and checked Anastasia's body temperature, which was slowly dropping, but still at a worrying level. Sighing, he scribbled a prescription in his notebook."Her temperature is still not normal. This is a stronger antipyretic," he said and handed the prescription to Maximilian.Maximilian accepted it without a word, his eyes fixed on Anastasia, who lay weakly on the bed. Her face was still pale, though her breathing had begun to stabilize.Steven let out a long sigh and settled into a chair across from Maximilian, loosening the collar of his rumpled shirt. He looked at his friend with a mixture of mild annoyance and curiosity."You made me rush over here in shorts! My reputation will be ruined if any of my colleagues or patients see me like this," Steven complained, gesturing at himself. "I had to run like crazy just to answer your distress call."Maximilian let out a quiet snort. "I don't care about your shorts, Steven. The only thing that matters i