LOGINIn the pitch-black darkness of her unconsciousness, Alma felt herself falling into a boundless void. The chaotic past rushed back like shards of broken glass piercing straight into her chest. She saw the collapse of her family, the suffocating mountain of debt notices, and Conal’s ruthless, cowardly face as he turned his back on their years of affection. She was entirely alone in the quagmire, her breath catching tighter by the second, surrounded by nothing but mocking laughter and bone-chilling cold. She wanted to struggle, wanted to scream for help, but her burning throat could not produce a single sound.Just as Alma thought she would sink into that dark abyss of hell forever, a streak of light suddenly tore through the night from high above. A hand reached out, firmly gripping her with absolute certainty, pulling her out of the bottomless chasm.Who are you?... Alma wanted to scream the question, but her numbed lips could only part helplessly and weakly in vain. Suddenly, the blin
Alma had just buried her blushing, embarrassed face into Aiden’s solid shoulder, trying to escape the judgmental stares behind her, when a wave of violent dizziness suddenly hit her. The sharp pain from her sprained ankle, compounded by the soreness racked across her entire body—a lingering ache from the fall that she hadn't noticed earlier in her panic—now surged straight to her brain at once. Exertion from the rapid succession of chaotic events caused her vision to quickly go dark. Her hand, which had been tightly clutching his collar, went limp, and her entire body fainted, turning soft in the dictatorial man's arms.Noticing that the breaths against his chest had suddenly grown weak, Aiden’s long strides broke rhythm for a split second. The handsome face that usually remained as serene as autumn lake water instantly fractured."Alma? Alma!"He called out in a deep voice, but his only response was silence and her pale, lifeless face. Aiden’s eyes darkened as an unconscious panic su
After Aiden and Alma vanished from sight, the suffocating atmosphere enveloping the two remaining individuals finally exploded. Unable to bear the humiliation under the judgmental stares of the surrounding guests, Conal firmly gripped Edna’s wrist and roughly dragged her out of the restaurant.Having lost face in front of so many people, Edna’s arrogance instantly flared up. She struggled violently and snapped, "Let go of me, Conal! What the hell are you doing? That hurts like hell!""Shut your mouth and keep walking, if you want to keep whatever dignity you have left!" Conal hissed through gritted teeth, tightening his grip even further.Once they reached a deserted street corner outside, Edna used all her strength to wrench her hand free, shaking off Conal’s grip before screaming in sheer rage:"Are you insane, Conal? Just because you’re a man, you think you can just lay your hands on me whenever you want?!"Conal glared at her, his chest heaving with fury. "I'm laying my hands on y
Aiden felt the timid tug on his shirt and the sudden collapse of her body. Lightning-fast, he tightened his grip around Alma’s waist, pulling her flush against his sturdy chest to bear her entire weight, preventing her from collapsing onto the stone floor.Looking at Alma’s face, which had gone from pale to completely bloodless with pain, his brows furrowed deeply. However, instead of leaving immediately, his ice-cold gaze remained pinned on Edna, coldly pronouncing his judgment:"From now on, you’d better prepare yourself to face court.""I... I didn’t even do anything to her!" Edna argued in a panic, her voice trembling violently. "It was just an accident! She slipped on her own!""The evidence is clear. You’d better shut your mouth and save that defense for the judge. I guarantee the time you spend behind bars won't be short." Aiden’s regal aura and the tempestuous pressure behind his words completely choked the words out of Edna's throat.Realizing she could not sway this powerful
"Edna! What on earth is going on here?"Conal rushed onto the scene, breathless. The moment Edna caught sight of him, it was as if she had found her liferaft. She instantly put on a disheveled, pitiful act, clinging to his arm while sobbing hysterically. "Conal, save me! Alma... she relied on her backer to humiliate and slap me black and blue! They're ganging up to bully me!"Looking at Edna’s swollen, red face that clearly bore the mark of a handprint, Conal panicked. But then, suddenly remembering the most crucial matter, his gaze snapped downward, fixing intently on her stomach. He asked in a rapid, anxious blur, "Good heavens, are you alright? What about the baby? Did anything happen to the baby in your womb, Edna?!"Conal’s reminder gave Edna a sudden, sharp jolt of guilt. She had been so consumed by jealousy that she had entirely forgotten about her ultimate "protective amulet." However, her cunning nature instantly took over. Edna swiftly caught onto the cue, quickly cupping he
"Oh my goodness, Alma, are you alright?"Edna’s sudden, shriek of feigned shock successfully locked in the collective attention of the VIP lounge guests, drawing their eyes directly to the corridor. She glided forward, her face a mask of deep concern like a benevolent cousin, intentionally projecting her voice so everyone nearby could hear:"The restroom floor is so slippery; I already told you to watch your footing... Mr. Aiden, please don't blame Alma for causing a scene in public. She has been clumsy since she was a child..."It was a flawless attempt to invert black and white—at once shifting all blame for the fall onto Alma while subtly defaming her in front of Aiden. Yet, Edna failed entirely to realize that Aiden’s eyes had already turned cold enough to freeze the entire hallway."You really must be more careful with your footing next time, Alma. Being this clumsy while standing beside someone like Mr. Power—if it impacts his reputation, how could you ever carry that weight? Yo
The moment the nurse’s figure vanished behind the door, a suffocating silence enveloped the hallway. Edna and Conal stood frozen, enduring the ordeal with faces entirely drained of color.Amidst this frozen atmosphere, Alma decisively turned to Aiden. Her small, slightly trembling hand brushed agai
Aiden’s sudden tenderness in the hospital hallway was like sugar-coated poison, leaving Alma dazed. Before she could recover from his lingering, protective touch on her hair, she was swept into an even more intense and public emotional assault. Her heart skipped a beat in terror; yet, before such o
The stinging pain in his wrist from the stranger's ruthless shove turned Conal into a provoked beast. He stumbled, his expensive leather shoes screeching against the hospital floor before he regained his balance. Without even getting a clear look at the person who dared to interfere, he roared with
Alma’s faint smile and look of utter contempt were like a match tossed into the tinder of Conal's wretched pride. Faced with her nonchalance, he was determined to escalate the confrontation to save face in front of Edna."Goddammit, you pathetic slut!"Conal’s roar made the bystanders flinch, yet A







