เข้าสู่ระบบThe hands of the wall clock had long passed one in the morning. Inside the study at the Ashford residence, there was nothing but silence accompanied by the soft yellow glow of a desk lamp. Camelia was still seated, hunched over her drafting table. Her long hair was tied up carelessly with a pencil tucked through it. Her slightly stiff fingers continued to move skillfully, dancing across the tracing paper as they drew firm lines that formed the silhouette of a magnificent evening gown. "Just a little more on the shoulder section..." Camelia whispered, her voice barely audible as she held her breath while refining the strokes in one corner of the page. On the digital registration form beside her laptop, the name field that would determine the participant's identity did not bear the name Camelia Ashford or Camelia Collyn. Instead, there was only an unfamiliar anonymous pseudonym: Lumina. She was truly hiding her identity behind this competition. Click. The soft sound of the door hing
Large sheets of design paper were spread across a worktable in the design department of Ashford Corporation. Camelia took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of paper, pencils, and black coffee that she had long missed. In the corner of the room's digital bulletin board, an electronic flyer flashed brightly, displaying a large headline: International Grand Design Competition 2026."This competition..." Camelia murmured, her hazel eyes instantly shining with ambition."Are you interested in registering, Camelia?" asked the head of the design department, who happened to be passing by and stopped beside her desk.Camelia looked up, a determined smile forming on her lips. "Yes, Ben. I want to try submitting one of my design concepts this year."Later that afternoon, inside Calvin's private office on the top floor of the same building, the atmosphere suddenly became slightly tense. Calvin set down his expensive pen with a soft tap on t
The President Director's office at Collyn Group's headquarters was remarkably quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling city of New York beyond its massive glass walls. Juna sat upright behind his thick oak desk, staring at rows of figures in an audit report with a deeply furrowed brow. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing the tense veins in his forearms that reflected how hard he had been working today.Knock... knock... knock...The steady sound of knocking interrupted Juna's concentration. The wooden door slowly opened, revealing Camelia's figure as she stepped gracefully inside, carrying a small white envelope in her hand."Juna," Camelia greeted softly as she closed the office door behind her.Juna looked up, and the exhaustion on his handsome face immediately eased, replaced by a warm smile. "Camelia? Why did you suddenly come to my office in the middle of the day? Is there a problem in the design department?""There's no problem at Ashford at all
Night had enveloped New York City, with faint stars scattered beyond the glass window of the master bedroom. Camelia sat quietly on the edge of the large bed, staring blankly at an ultrasound printout from Singapore resting on her lap. Her fingers moved slowly, tracing the faint silhouettes of the two tiny babies printed on the paper.The mattress beside her sank slightly as Calvin lowered his tall frame onto it. The man had just finished showering and was wearing nothing but a pair of black trousers, leaving his broad, solid chest exposed."Why aren't you asleep yet, Honey?" Calvin asked in his deep, low baritone voice as he wrapped one arm around Camelia's slender waist.Camelia let out a long sigh and rested her head against Calvin's warm bare shoulder. "I've just been thinking about a lot of things, Calvin. My mind hasn't stopped racing since we left Singapore this afternoon.""Thinking about Seraphina's twins?" Calvin guessed gently, his fingers moving up to softly stroke her sli
Time rolled on like a wheel that never stopped turning. A full week had passed since the legal documents from the Collyn law firm arrived in China, yet Juna’s desk at the Collyn Group headquarters remained free of any returned package.Juna twirled a gold-tipped pen between his fingers as he stared at the pile of financial reports that seemed endless.Now, the man had chosen a new strategy to survive: burying himself in work. He forced his mind to work twice as hard to drive away the shadows of silence that often tormented him whenever he let his thoughts wander.“Mr. Juna, the meeting with the board members from the subsidiaries will begin in ten minutes,” his secretary said after knocking on the door of the quiet office.Juna looked up and straightened his tie with a firm and decisive motion. “Alright, prepare all the presentation materials. Make sure there isn't a single mistake in the numbers.”“Yes, sir. Oh, and this is the weekly report from the monitoring team you requested in
Three days passed in creeping silence in New York. That morning, a steady knock on the main door of the Ashford residence signaled the arrival of someone who had, for the past few days, been isolating himself from the hustle and bustle of the world. Juna stood at the doorway, wearing a casual coat, trying to hide the traces of exhaustion that still clearly lingered in his dark eyes. “Brother Juna?” greeted Camelia, who had just come down from the second floor, her face instantly brightening upon seeing her brother standing there. “Come in, Brother. Why didn’t you give any notice all of a sudden?” Juna forced a faint, thin smile on his still somewhat pale lips. “Brother came here on purpose to take his nieces and nephews out for a walk, Mel. Where are the twins, Aurora and Daven?” “Oh, they’re definitely going to be so happy!” Camelia exclaimed with sparkling eyes, turning toward the stairs. “Wait a moment, they’re upstairs tightening their shoelaces with the nanny. Have a seat, Bro
Morning had not fully arrived when Calvin stood on the second-floor balcony of his house. Cold air seeped through the thin shirt he was wearing, but he didn’t care. Both of his hands rested on the balcony railing, his eyes fixed on the sky that was still dark.The bedroom light
The next morning.Calvin stood in front of the bedroom mirror, adjusting the cuffs of the white shirt he was wearing. Behind him, Tata moved back and forth with focused concentration, making sure Calvin’s work outfit looked perfect.“The shirt fits well,” Tata said with a smile. “This gray tie matc
Calvin closed his eyes in his office chair. The lights in the office were still brightly lit, but his head felt heavy. Somehow, his thoughts had been drifting more and more often without permission. He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.Yet the memory still came.That night, the rain was p
Chapter 11The sharp smell of antiseptic stung Camelia’s nose as her consciousness slowly returned. Her eyelids felt heavy. She tried to open her eyes, then closed them again because the light was too bright.“You’re awake?”A man’s voice sounded near her. His tone was firm, but there was something







