It wasn't just a kiss. It felt much more like a punishment that made me feel suffocated.The scent of blood lingered in the air around us. However, I wasn't sure if the scent was coming from the blood on Nicholas' waist or the blood coming from our mouths.No matter what, the kiss was the worst expe
Claudia froze momentarily before her voice immediately morphed into a tearful tone. "Nick, don't you know?""Explain it clearly! What am I supposed to know?"He tightened his grip around my waist as he lost control, oblivious to the fact that he was hurting me. I felt my heart drop, and I felt sligh
Suddenly, I lost all desire to explain myself. In his eyes, an explanation would only turn into me admitting my mistakes.Nicholas sounded somewhat hurt as he said, "Ariana, do you know what the cruelest thing about you is?"I glanced at him calmly without an ounce of emotion. If I could truly be fu
I had heard such cruel words often and had slowly grown immune to them. I clenched my hands tightly into fists and forced myself to calm down. "Although you aren't my biological mother, I've treated you like my own mother for four years—"Before I could finish speaking, Frances interrupted me and s
I was exhausted, so I decided to close my eyes and rest. But in my mind, there seemed to be the scent of blood lingering in the air.It felt like there was an air of bloodthirstiness coming from someone. Just from a slight sniff, I knew I had to get away. I massaged my temples painfully as Yasmine's
There was already a fine layer of sweat on my skin after I got dressed. When I walked past the mirror, I was shocked by my pained and pale expression.I quickly calmed myself down. I knew I couldn't show up in front of these people who hated me and let them see me in such a state. That would be no d
When I arrived at the hospital, Claudia was lying in bed fiddling with her phone. She looked much healthier compared to Nicholas' pale complexion yesterday.I straightened my posture and called out to her solemnly. "Claudia!"She had been focused on her phone and immediately sat up in fright when sh
I took a photo of Claudia as she was being brought away by the police and sent it to Yasmine.I had asked her to report the progress of the case in real time under the name of Jay Caldwell & Co. I wanted an explanation for myself as well as for the people following up on my case.All of the women wh
Nelson stumbled to the front of the stage, grabbed the microphone from the host, and shouted loudly, "Today's auction is canceled! Canceled!"Nicholas stood up calmly and said, "Since there was a bid, and my bid complies with the rules, this land is already mine! There's no justification for canceli
The auctioneer initially thought starting the bid at zero would ignite a frenzy in the auction room, given that this was a plot of land worth over 100 million dollars.But the moment he announced the starting price, the entire venue fell into an eerie silence.With Nicholas present, no one dared to
On our way back, Leo was still standing beside Yasmine. When he saw us approaching, he surprisingly nodded at both me and Nicholas—a rare acknowledgment.I frowned and glared at him. He had upset Yasmine again! I had expected Nicholas to ignore him entirely, but to my surprise, he nodded back sligh
Dressed in a black coat, the hem of Nicholas' garment billowed as he took a long stride forward.He walked toward me, his dark eyes seeming to hold an infinite power. At the moment our gazes met, a sense of calm washed over me.Only Nicholas made me truly think of this word. He was my calm, but he w
"Yasmine, check the brooch. Claudia will probably reveal my photos in the second half," I said.Yasmine had worn a sunflower brooch on her outfit today, equipped with a portable recording device to capture the events at the scene.She nodded with a serious expression. "Don't worry. It's all set."Sh
An auction naturally features more than one item. At first, there were some insignificant small plots of land with very low starting prices, serving as a warm-up. The attendees showed little interest, though some took the opportunity to bid on the cheap properties.Before the main event began, Beth
I lingered in the guest room until the time I had agreed upon with Yasmine before finally leaving the room.Originally, I had intended to avoid Nicholas for a while, but to my surprise, he was already gone from the Coral Villa.After bidding farewell to Tabitha and Cory, I drove to the firm to pick
At dawn, Nicholas and I finally drifted off to sleep, but suddenly, something jolted me awake, erasing all traces of drowsiness.I traced the contours of his features with my eyes, silently repeating his name in my mind. Curling up, I felt a deep ache in both body and soul. The wildness of the nigh
It was my first time being a mother. One child already left me feeling overwhelmed, and I had no idea how to handle conflicts between the two.That night, after both children had fallen asleep, I lay beside Tabitha, tossing and turning. My ears tuned to the sounds outside the bedroom door, waiting f