LOGIN"Hmph. It's just a piece of candy. If I had been there…"Khloe snapped back to her senses and pushed herself up from his embrace. In the darkness, she stared straight at him, her tone still bristling with indignation."If you had been there, what would you have done?""If I were there, I'd make sure none of them got to eat it. It wouldn't be fair at all if you didn't have any!""So even if you were just a kid, you'd still protect me?"Watching her flustered outrage on his behalf, warmth swelled in his heart—sweeter than candy ever could be. He lifted her face gently in his hands and asked softly."Of course!" she answered without hesitation. "No matter when, as long as I'm by your side, I'll protect you.""Me too."His voice dropped, and he leaned closer to her lips. His breath turned hot."The thing I hate most in life… is meeting you too late."'Meeting too late. Parting too early.'Her heart trembled. She immediately reached up and covered his mouth. "No talking nonsense.
Khloe's sudden movement jolted Nick awake. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "You okay?"The moment he spoke, his strong arms had already drawn her into his embrace."I don't know. I just feel uneasy. I think I had a nightmare…""Having nightmares more often lately?" he asked, frowning with concern as he reached up to feel her forehead. It was cold, covered in a fine layer of sweat.She shook her head and tightened her arms around him.Feeling his steady heartbeat and breathing in his familiar scent, her restless emotions quickly began to settle."Maybe it's just pregnancy hormones. Let me comfort you two. Want to hear a story?"He sat up, adjusted his posture, and pulled her comfortably into his arms, gently patting her back."What kind of story?""A fairy tale?"She closed her eyes and smiled faintly. "You can tell fairy tales too? Which one?""The Little Prince," he said softly. "Want to hear it?"She shook her head. "I want to hear your story.""My story?""Yes. What
"Yes—and no."Ariana was curious, but she didn't feel the need to ask Trey every single time. She could already guess some of it herself.Trey said, "Then tell me what you think.""The Olson family is already at a disadvantage now. Public opinion, the business circles in Goldmont City—everyone is leaning toward Winnie. Timing, location, and support are all on her side. Getting the inheritance back is probably inevitable. You're just… going with the flow?"Recently, she had been reading business strategy books alongside him and was now casually applying what she learned.Trey couldn't help but smile at her attempt. He pinched her cheek lightly."There's some truth in that.""But I still don't quite understand," Ariana continued. "You're doing her a favor, but she doesn't even know it. Besides, she's definitely going to cooperate with the Morrison family anyway. As for working with you… honestly, if the foundation dragged things out, it would actually benefit us more, wouldn't it?
"Comforting her wouldn't change anything. If it could, she wouldn't be in this state."Mr. Olson remained unmoved. In a cold voice, he ordered the servants nearby to bring over the private doctor they had hired.Until Veronica returned to normal, she was not allowed to step outside her room. No one was permitted to see her either.Once his orders were given, Veronica was placed under strict confinement—even Mrs. Olson was restricted from visiting her.In the past, within a few hours at most, Veronica would have come out to admit her mistake. But this time, her silence was unsettlingly prolonged—far beyond what Mr. Olson had expected.The doctor arrived quickly. After Veronica had showered and changed clothes, she underwent a full examination.There were not many external injuries. On her neck and back were numerous scratch marks, along with large patches of bruising, as though she had been violently restrained and beaten. All other physical indicators remained within normal range
Before Mr. Olson could even reach out to place a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder and ask what had happened, Veronica shot him a poisonous glare.She took a step back, refusing to let him touch her. "Why… why did you adopt that bitch, Winnie?"Mr. Olson froze, then let out a long sigh. "Veronica, so you've already heard about what happened?"Veronica did not respond. She walked forward in silence instead. Her aura was entirely different from before, so cold and oppressive that even the servants did not dare approach her.Finally, she stopped in front of the vase that Mr. Olson had just picked up and set down again."Veronica…"Mrs. Olson's expression changed.In the next second, Veronica lifted the vase with both hands and slammed it violently to the ground.People scattered in panic. Shards of porcelain exploded outward, sharp fragments flying—nearly striking Mr. Olson.The butler reacted quickly and pulled him aside just in time.Still, a maid who failed to dodge
"When?"Countless thoughts raced through Khloe's mind. It was still there when she returned home. She had shown it to Nick. Before cooking, she hadn't touched it. While cooking, it had been left in the living room—Had someone come in?Impossible. The bodyguards were outside. The doors and windows were locked.Then when?Suddenly, she remembered the man who had bumped into her that afternoon.She had checked her bag. Everything had been there.But that collision—What if he hadn't been stealing, only delaying her?What if the real theft happened afterward?What if the old woman, the crowd of onlookers, the man in gray… were all—Her face went pale.Nick pulled her into his arms."It's fine."Tears slipped down Khloe's face."I went to all the trouble to get it…"Nick held her without speaking.He knew who had stolen it. Lacuna. They had targeted her. There was no way they would let her take that drug away.Khloe trembled in his arms."It was supposed to save your lif
"Nick…" Khloe murmured, and then jolted awake.She opened her eyes, realizing she had somehow moved from the sofa to the bed—but she had no memory of getting there.A thin sliver of sunlight slipped through the slightly parted curtains, and a warm ray landed across her brow. The gentle morning lig
In the quiet VIP lounge of the airport, Nick was waiting.He glanced down at the project report for the trip, but his mind kept drifting back to Khloe's gaze as she left."What time is it?" he asked, setting his phone aside and turning to Lenny."Nine o'clock," Lenny replied, checking the time. N
Winnie parted her lips, drawing a shaky breath. "It's good that you know that."The atmosphere cooled once more. She didn't want to linger in the awkwardness and quickly stepped into the bathroom.The next afternoon, on the way back, Michael and Winnie were seen off by diplomats from Naraida who h
At noon, Angela returned to the Fox family estate from the hospital with Pete, her expression weary."Mommy, is Daddy really that tired? He's been sleeping for two whole days!"Pete looked up at the room upstairs, curiosity shining in his eyes as he asked Angela.Angela faced him, momentarily at







