The ceiling was a book without words. I'd been reading it for four years, yet I still hadn't finished it. Tonight, this book began to make a sound.The sound was slow and thick with the haze of drunkenness. Each word was carefully enunciated, as if he were afraid I wouldn't hear or that I might reje
A chill ran through me as the wind brushed against my skin. I turned to look at Nicholas. His eyes were closed, and he was sleeping soundly.I felt a little dazed, unsure if it was just my exhaustion playing tricks on me or if the night had genuinely turned cold.Neal's voice came through the phone,
Pete froze for a moment before letting out a relieved laugh. He ended the call and immediately sent a video request.Seeing Pete's name flashing on the screen stirred up a flood of memories. There was a time when we would share bits of our lives through video calls. But that was years ago—those mome
Pete's words trailed off as he suddenly lowered his head. His entire upper body slumped out of the camera's frame, leaving only a blank white wall in view behind him.What he didn't realize was that the play of shadows betrayed him—his trembling frame and the quick swipe at his eyes did not escape m
As I went downstairs, everyone in Coral Villa seemed to be aware of something. They all stood in front of me, looking for lame excuses. They even asked if I wanted to cook something that Tabitha liked and send it to her.Due to Tabitha's poor health, she had a dedicated nutritionist managing her mea
Just as Yasmine had described, a few people were stationed outside Claudia's ward.Several bodyguards dressed in black blocked the narrow hallway, casting shadows that dimmed the light streaming in. The occasional sobs from inside the room only made the atmosphere more eerie. It was midday, with th
Nicholas walked over and stood behind me, his presence bringing a trace of sunlight and a hint of warmth. He gently wrapped his arms around my waist. The scent of sunlight was warm and pleasant, but I was inexplicably cold and trembled uncontrollably.Under Claudia's glaring, furious eyes, he reste
Nicholas stared coldly at Claudia, who stubbornly met his gaze. No one else in the room reacted much."What else have you done? Tell me everything now, or the consequences will be worse if I find out later," Nicholas demanded, his tone sharp and commanding.Claudia bit her lip hard. It was hard to t
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