The notification sound pierced through Andrea’s fever-induced haze. He struggled to focus on the glowing screen of his phone, Sofia's name appearing once again with the same familiar demand."Nikolas needs blood again. Get to the hospital. Now."A bitter smile twisted across his pale lips. With trembling fingers, he scrolled through their message history—dozens of identical requests stretching back months. Not once had she asked how he was feeling, not once had she shown concern for his deteriorating health.His body ached as he forced himself to sit up, the high fever making every movement feel like he was moving through molasses. The constant blood donations had left him weak, anemic, but Sofia never seemed to care about the toll it was taking on him.How do I refuse her this time? he wondered, staring at the cold, clinical message. How do I tell my own wife that I can barely stand?The email notification chimed, interrupting his thoughts. Andrea frowned—who would be emailing him

Blood dripped from Nikolas' palm, a crimson trail snaking across the kitchen floor. Andrea stared in disbelief, knife trembling in his own hand. He hadn’t even moved, but now Sofia’s footsteps thundered on the stairs.“Nikolas! What happened?” Sofia rushed to his side, grabbing a kitchen towel and pressing it against his bleeding hand. Her eyes were wild, searching his face. “Are you hurt? Oh my God—what did he do to you?”Nikolas sniffled, looking small and pitiful. “Sofia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I just… I wanted to help in the kitchen, that’s all. Andrea got angry. Maybe I was in the way. I was only trying to show I’m not a burden…”Sofia’s face darkened. She spun on Andrea, voice deadly soft. “You hurt him? Over something so trivial? Jealousy, Andrea? Really? That’s who you are now?”Andrea’s heart slammed in his chest. This is insane. She actually believes him over me. After everything… “No, Sofia, you’ve got it wrong. I never touched him! He grabbed my hand an

Andrea stared at Maria Konstantinou in complete bewilderment, his mind struggling to process her words. "Sister?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "But that's impossible. I'm an orphan. My grandmother raised me after my parents died when I was seven."Maria's expression grew gentle, filled with years of suppressed emotion. "Andrea, there's so much you don't know. So much I need to explain about our family, about who you really are—"The shrill ringtone of Andrea's phone cut through her words like a knife. Sofia's name flashed on the screen, and both siblings fell silent. Andrea hesitated, his finger hovering over the answer button."Take it," Maria said quietly. "Let's see what your ex-wife wants now."Andrea swiped to answer, putting the phone on speaker. "Hello, Sofia.""Well, well," Sofia's voice came through, dripping with venom and cold satisfaction. "I didn't expect you to be so bold, Andrea. Not only did you escape, but you even managed to hook up with some woman. How r

Theodore Dimitris's face had turned ashen white, his confident demeanor crumbling like sand as he stared at the chairman's respectful bow. His voice came out in a hoarse whisper, trembling with disbelief."Mr. Loannis... what... what are you doing? Why are you bowing to them?"Maria stepped forward, her presence commanding the entire hallway's attention. Every staff member, patient, and visitor had stopped to witness the unfolding drama, sensing that something monumental was happening."Mr. Loannis," she said, her voice carrying the authority of generations of power, "it seems your hospital staff have decided they no longer wish to continue operating. They've shown such blatant disrespect to the grandmother of the Konstantinou family heir that I can only assume they're eager for unemployment."Konstantinou family heir? Theodore's mind raced frantically. The Konstantinou family owns medical facilities across three states. They could destroy this hospital with a phone call.The chairma

Sofia Georgiou stepped through the front door of her villa, exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders. The day's events had drained her more than she cared to admit, and all she wanted was to collapse into her usual routine of being waited on."Andrea!" she called out automatically, her voice echoing through the empty foyer. "Bring me some water! And make sure it's ice cold!"She kicked off her heels and moved toward the living room, expecting to hear the familiar sound of hurried footsteps responding to her command. Instead, silence greeted her.Where is he? she wondered irritably, glancing around the pristine but empty space."Andrea!" she called again, louder this time. "I said bring me water! Don't make me wait!"Still nothing. No apologetic voice, no rushed movement from the kitchen or upstairs. The villa felt strangely hollow without his presence.Nikolas limped in behind her, still favoring his bandaged hand. "Sofia, maybe he's still upset about earlier. He might be hiding s