Miley turned her head. In the middle of Julius’ palm, was a seashell delicate, spiraled, pale pink with a glint of sheen that caught the morning sun.He tilted it between his fingers. “Tell me this doesn’t look like something you’d wear as earrings.”Miley burst into a laugh. “Only if I’m auditioning for the role of CEO for Mermaid Corp.”He grinned, "Technically, that could work for you. You've surely got the skillset for it." “You’ve officially lost it.”He offered it to her with a shrug. “Keep it. Might be valuable.”She took it, amused, and tucked it into the pocket of her beach robe. “Between the spontaneous resort buyout, the gold-plated waffles at breakfast, and your very dramatic bidding war over the massage villa yesterday… are you sure we are not accidentally filming a luxury reality show?”Julius smirked. “Should I have hired a drone crew?”“I’m just saying…”Miley said, nudging his elbow with hers, “this whole trip is beginning to feel more like an elite-level shopping sp

Miley didn’t even dare to move her pupils to the back. The gun at the back of her neck was cold enough to burn, making her breath hitched. The sand, the sea, the faint clink of glasses in the distance… it all faded into a hush of terror.Julius’s stance changed instantly. His spine straightened, eyes scanning, their surroundings. “Let her go,” he said, low and lethal.“Not happening!” Said the voice behind Miley. “Don’t get clever, General, or I'll put a bullet in your pretty wife. You’re surrounded.”From the shadows beyond the edge of the beach, some dark figures stepped out, at least twenty of them. Suited in tactical black, faces covered, movements efficient. They flanked the beach like a trap had finally sprung shut.“So! We finally tracked you down…”The lead one sneered, stepping forward, gun still at Miley’s neck.“You think you can hide behind vacations and villas like you’re not on every list that matters? Come quietly, or we will make a mess of her guts and brain.”Juliu

Miley couldn’t move.Her heels were rooted to the concrete, her mind spinning while everything around her began to blur. The shouts, the running footsteps, the growing panic all of it sounded like echoes under water. She had heard the word bomb, but it was not the danger that froze her.It was the pattern.It was the same thing happening all over again. Every time she dared to build something, life found a way to tear it apart. And now, right at the edge of sealing her biggest business deal, when she had finally started smiling again, it was all falling apart.“Miley!” one of her assistants shouted, tugging at her arm. “We have to evacuate!”But she could not even turn her head.Somewhere behind her, security was yelling. Delegates from the Filipino team were backing away, frantic voices growing louder. Even Quella was grabbing one of the assistants and pulling toward the parking area. People streamed toward the side exit, a flood of chaos.And Miley just stood there, staring at the

Quella stirred on the edge of the examination cot, one hand pressed dramatically against her temple while the other held her belly. Her lower lip trembled as she sat up with a carefully practiced wobble.“I’m sorry, Julius,” she said, breathless, like she’d just survived a warzone instead of having fainted in the middle of an interrogation room. “I just… everything has been so overwhelming. The explosion, the delegation walking out, and poor Miley’s proposal, what a disaster. I tried my best to convince them to stay. But what could I do?” She looked up at him through thick lashes, her voice breaking at all the right places. “They wouldn’t listen. Not with all that chaos.”Julius stood by the door, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.She leaned forward, letting out a soft whimper. “I mean, I even begged them to reconsider. I told them your wife’s work was brilliant, that she had nothing to do with the… incident. But they were just so paranoid. I wanted to help, I really did. You b

Julius cradled Miley in his arms as his team surged through the restaurant doors. His steps were purposeful, furious, unwavering. He did not flinch even when she stirred faintly, her head slipping sideways against his shoulder, lips parting with a breath that came slow and unsteady.“She is conscious, but barely,” one of the medics reported as they rushed forward. “We need a toxicity panel. Possible sedative.”Julius nodded once, eyes hard as steel. “She is not leaving my sight.”“Sir, we will stabilize her on the way,” the paramedic added as he fastened a monitor to her wrist. “Her vitals are strong, but her blood pressure’s dipping. She will be okay, but it was close.”Behind them, Mr. Amado was being dragged out of the restaurant by two agents. He was zip-tied at the wrists, his lip split and his jaw swollen from Julius’s blow. He spat a muffled curse as flashing cameras from a passerby’s phone caught the scene. Restaurant management tried to plead with Julius’s team ; “This is al