ANMELDENThe wedding reception was buzzing with music and loud laughter. At the front VIP table, several guests looking all wealthy, gathered their heads together bragging about their latest success. "My son just secured a real estate partnership abroad," an older businessman boasted, swirling his drink. "Millions on the table before the quarter even ends."A woman in a silk dress nodded, eager to jump in. "That's nothing compared to my daughter. She was just featured in the global fashion registry last night. The praise she's getting is incredible."Desiree Gold took a slow sip from her glass, waiting for the perfect moment before she chirped in. "Oh, those are lovely achievements," she said smoothly, capturing the attention of the table. "I guess I can talk about my sweet Tori over here.” She said, smiling proudly. A lady said out loud, “Oh come on. What great news have you got to say now? The Golds are always celebrating hehe!” She giggled and everyone laughed with her.Desiree said at la
Across the elegant hallway, inside Christopher’s apartment, the morning sun was doing nothing to cure Casey’s splitting headache. She groaned loudly, pressing a cold ice pack against her temple as she slumped on the kitchen island.The front door clicked open and Lara walked in. Still dressed in her crisp, high-end private nurse uniform, looking a bit tired after finishing her long night shift at the VIP wing. She took off her coat, her sharp eyes scanning the messy apartment before locking onto the miserable girl."Where is your brother?" Lara asked, her voice calm and professional as she set her medical bag on the counter.Casey just let out a heavy groan, burying her face into her arms. "Check the next apartment. He’s probably with Anika."Lara paused, her brow furrowing. "Who is that?""Our neighbor," Casey muttered into her sleeve, too tired to explain.Lara's mind instantly flashed back to yesterday afternoon. She remembered the lady who had barged in carrying a container of por
Anika walked a few steps away, her stomach tightening as she pressed the phone to her ear. Tobey was usually blunt and unsmiling, and she was bracing herself for a sharp lecture."Tobey?" she whispered, keeping her voice low."Where did you disappear to yesterday?" Tobey’s voice came through the speaker, crisp and direct. "You just ran out after that scene."Anika cleared her throat, forcing her tone to sound weak so he could believe her. "I... I wasn't feeling too well. It was an emergency, so I had to leave early."There was a brief pause on the other end. "Don't worry about it," Tobey said, his tone surprisingly calm. "We defended your name in front of Selena yesterday anyway. Everyone was trying to make a huge deal out of your absence, but the team shut it down. Just rest up this weekend."Anika blinked at first, then her face brightened. A wave of pride washed over her, making her smile. Hearing that her new team had her back made her feel genuinely proud of herself."Thank you,
"How is he?" Anika asked quietly, breaking the silence as she stared to the center table. "Little Ryan?"Christopher opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her profile. A bright smile softened his features. "He's good. The kid is practically running around now. The treatment is working faster than we expected."Anika's face brightened, a look of relief washing over her features. For the first time all day, her classy front entirely disappeared, replaced by genuine happiness. "Wow... I'm so glad to hear that. He really deserves to be healthy.""Do you want to meet with him?" Christopher asked, his voice soft as he watched the gentle curve of her lips. "I can arrange a meeting at the private wing this weekend. He keeps asking about the pretty lady who told him those fun stories."Anika turned to face him, her eyes shining. "Really? I'd love to.""It's easy to set up," Christopher said. "He's Lara's nephew, so she handles his daily visitation logs anyway."Anika’s smile instantly f
Christopher groaned, leaning his head back against the cushion. "I would rather have coffee. I've missed it so much today." Anika paused on her way to the kitchen, frowning over her shoulder at him. "You had coffee just yesterday." She waited because she thought she had heard him wrong. Stay over? "I know," Christopher sighed. "But it's been twenty-four hours already. I’m running low on my energy source." Anika stopped, turning to face him now. With her hands planted on her waist, she couldn't help but shake her head at him. “The terrifying, multi-billionaire Chairman of Vanguard is secretly a hopeless coffee addict who couldn't survive a single day without a caffeine fix.” She then ignored his begging, walked into the kitchen, and prepared the dark, herbal tea the restaurant owner had given her. She walked back and handed the warm mug to him. Christopher took it with a frown, sipping the bitter liquid while Anika sat down opposite to him. Slowly, the playful atmosphere in the l
A gorgeous young woman in a tailored, fitted nurse’s uniform was standing by the living room counter, organizing a tray of medical supplies. She had perfect makeup, sharp features, and a highly confident aura.Anika froze, her brow furrowing as she stared at her. "Huh? Who is this?"The woman turned around, her eyes scanning Anika from head to toe with a cool, professional gaze. “Oh hello. Are you the delivery person?”Anika blinked. She looked at herself from up to her feet…how did she looked like a delivery person in her smart outfit? She wasn't wearing any uniform?“No, I came by to drop this.” She stretched forward the porridge to her. “Where's Christopher? And Casey too?” Anika made sure her voice was still firm. She did not want to feel any low self esteem standing next to this lady.“He's resting and I don't want him to be disturbed. And Casey is…busy. I'll feed him the porridge so don't worry.” She said, about to take the porridge from her hand. She looked around and saw two
Anika frowned at that message. She had been texting and calling Anna since then, but she didn’t pick up. Now that it was late, she wanted to talk?She just tossed the phone onto the bed and sighed. Tomorrow was another day; she would see her then.The next morning, as early as dawn, Carlos’s call h
Anika just stared at him as he explained, then, to back up all of his points, he paused, opened the black bag he'd been carrying, and brought out a neat brown envelope. She frowned but collected it from him to open it. This was his proof after all. NOTICE OF INHERITANCE. To Ms. Anika Delacroix
Christopher felt his leg turn into a log of wood. He wanted to run, to hide his shameful face from her? Why was this death so personal to him? He had killed the poor woman. Suddenly, her eyes met with his. He could see fire burning in them. "You!" Rage overwhelmed her as she ran towards him. "You
Anika quickly made payment for her medicine, and on her way out, threw two pills in her mouth. She was on her way to the hospital. Heaving in a deep sigh as she arrived at the entrance, she told herself to be strong. She would call Lark again and try to...try to what? Well! She would figure someth







