Aidan closed the distance between them, his hands casually slipping into his pockets as he studied Karina's face, illuminated by the gentle morning sunlight. “I do understand the importance of respecting boundaries,” he affirmed.Karina's devilish smile wavered momentarily, her resolve faltering at the weight of Aidan's words. Nevertheless, she straightened her posture, mustering her courage to respond. "You should remember that, Aidan," she countered sharply. "I'm not the same Karina who put up with your nonsense six years ago."Aidan's demeanor remained composed as he absorbed her words, offering a subtle nod in acknowledgment. "You're absolutely right," he conceded, his tone softening.Karina's gaze drifted upward to the sky, a wistful smile playing at her lips. "Despite the challenges of yesterday, it's still a beautiful morning," she mused, her voice tinged with irony. "I bid you goodnight because it seemed like the end of a trying day for all of you. Perhaps you should rest, as
Just then, Phoebe emerged. Karina glanced at Phoebe, her eyes silently pleading for confirmation, but Phoebe's expression remained unreadable as she stared steadily at Sophie. Karina pressed on, trying to coax Sophie into remembering. "Are you sure, honey? Maybe someone caught your eye while we were out yesterday?"Sophie shook her head, her attention already drifting towards the door. "I don't think so. Can I go play with Grand Aunt Zora now?"Phoebe intervened, sensing Karina's growing frustration. "Of course, sweetheart. Run along."As Sophie scampered off, Karina turned to Phoebe with a furrowed brow. "Why did you come back so early?" she asked, her tone laced with concern.Phoebe hesitated for a moment before replying, "I just wanted to check on something at home. Is everything alright?"Karina nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about," she began, her voice serious.Phoebe's eyes widened slightly, sensing the gravity of the sit
Karina managed to get over her surprise and relieve herself from feeling awkward as she embraced Lilly in return.As she engaged in conversation with Lilly, she introduced her to Sophie, and the two girls exchanged pleasantries.Anita, though not entirely pleased with Lilly's affection towards Karina, masked her emotions with a smile as she observed them. "Lilly, come sit next to me, dear," she suggested, but Lilly declined, opting to sit beside her new friend Sophie instead. Exchanging a smile with Sophie, Lilly sat on the seat next to her. Anita forced a smile, accepting the situation. She remained composed, taking her seat at the table. Juliana, noticing the interaction between her granddaughter and Sophie, chimed in, "It's nice to see Lilly with a friend her age. She doesn't often have visitors her own age." Karina nodded in understanding, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss with Lilly.As they began to eat, Karina's concern grew as she noticed Lilly's
Anita sighed, her steps heavy with the weight of her decision as she walked away from her mother, who still wore a shocked expression. After a moment of silence, Juliana's voice broke the tension."Are you serious?" she asked, her tone laced with skepticism. "How would you go about it?"Anita's response was chillingly composed. "I've thought of a plan," she said calmly. "I'll have the girl abducted and arrange for a trusted colleague to perform the transplant in our closed clinic. No one will suspect a thing."Juliana recoiled in horror. "You want to take someone else's child..." she began, her voice trailing off in disbelief."I don't care," Anita interrupted, her tone unwavering. "I would sacrifice thousands of lives to protect my daughter."Juliana's shock turned to annoyance as she rushed forward, grabbing Anita's arm and spinning her around to face her. "Are you mad?!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion. "You can't be this heartless!"But Anita was resolute. "I am,"
Lucas glanced at his mother, silently urging her to step in, but she remained hesitant. Turning back to Anita, he adopted a more composed demeanor, his expression tinged with disappointment."Anita, let's be honest here. The Everhardt family didn't do anything so egregious to you that warrants this vendetta against their third generation."Anita's voice rose, filled with bitterness as she cut him off. "It's because of Sir Lawson that I lost my medical license ten years ago! That old man and his family are still living happily after they ruined my life!"Lucas countered, his voice firm. "It's him, not them. Karina hasn't done anything wrong. She's the purest among the Everhardt family."Anita sneered, her words dripping with sarcasm. "It's easy for you to defend the woman who has captured your heart, dear brother. How beautiful."Juliana finally stepped in, her voice calm yet assertive. "Let's focus our revenge on Sir Lawson instead of involving Karina and Sophie. He's still alive, Ani
Doubt gnawed at Riley's resolve, causing her to falter. Then with a heavy sigh, Riley lowered the pillow, her heart heavy with the weight of her decision. But just as she turned to leave, a surge of determination coursed through her veins. She couldn't let Sophie live to tell the tale. She had to do it, no matter how difficult it was.Bracing herself, Riley turned back to Sophie, her grip tightening on the pillow. She was about to press it over Sophie's face when Sophie suddenly stirred in her sleep. Riley froze, her eyes widening in shock as Sophie's eyes fluttered open.Caught off guard, Riley staggered back, the pillow slipping from her hands and tumbling to the floor. She stood there, paralyzed with fear and disbelief, as Sophie blinked up at her in confusion.Sophie sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes as she stared at Riley. She asked groggily, "Aunt Riley, why are you here?"Riley's mind raced for an explanation, her words caught in her throat as she struggled to come up with a p
Karina's expression seemed to worsen with each passing second as she walked into the room. Martha and Riley exchanged a long glance, silently conveying their fears. Clearing her throat softly, Karina asked again, "What more do you need to do?"Martha, feigning obliviousness, asked, "What do you mean?"Karina replied, "I was just walking past and heard you discussing something."Martha tilted her head, glancing at Riley behind her, and held back a sigh of relief as she realized Karina hadn't heard all they said earlier. Returning her gaze to Karina, Martha frowned and accused her of eavesdropping. “You were eavesdropping, how could you?" Karina defended herself, saying, "I really wasn't doing that."Riley, feeling emboldened, spoke up, "You've been too pompous because you're the CEO of the family business. It's disrespectful."Taken aback by Riley's sharp words, Karina paused for a moment before responding, "Hey, Riley, I didn't mean to impose or assert dominance. We're all family here
Feeling aggravated by Amira's silence, Aidan's grip tightened around her throat as he urged her in a yell to speak. Gasping for air, she slapped his hand, her voice strained as she requested he let go.Relaxing his hold slightly, Aidan stared into her eyes, searching for any sign of deception. Despite her protestations, he couldn't shake the gnawing feeling inside him. He knew Amira had a vendetta against Karina, and he couldn't ignore his instincts."I'm not plotting anything," Amira swore, her expression earnest as she met his gaze. "You have my word. I won't do anything stupid again, especially since you've assured me of your love."As she stood on her toes, attempting to kiss him, Aidan pulled away, turning his back to her. She hugged him from behind, pleading with him not to doubt her intentions. "I want to help you and your family get out of this mess Karina has entangled you in," she whispered.But Aidan remained resolute, pushing her back slightly as he shook his head. "You sh