The air in the room seemed to vanish, leaving behind a sudden, suffocating vacuum.Elise's hand froze mid-air, her fingers tightening around the stem of her wine glass.The cold indifference in her eyes flickered for a moment, replaced by a flash of bewilderment that quickly twisted into a look of absurd mockery."Divorce?"She let out a short, sharp huff—a dry laugh that barely left her nostrils, as if she had just heard a particularly tasteless joke.She leaned back against the sofa."Ryan, did you smoke-damage your brain in that fire? Do you even know what you're saying?"Ryan stood in the shadows.His tattered firefighter's uniform looked jarringly out of place under the warm, amber glow of the chandelier."I made myself very clear, Elise."His voice was flat, devoid of any rise or fall. It sounded like a dry well."I'll have a lawyer draft the agreement. If you have no objections, you can sign it whenever you're ready.""I don't agree."Elise stood up abruptly.Her wine glass sla

The incandescent lights in the corridor were a blinding, clinical white.Nicholas Wells stood before the closed doors of the emergency room, his hands clasped behind his back.His suit was still covered in ash and smears of Ryan's blood. To Nicholas, those stains were medals of honor, earned by the young man who had nearly traded his life for his."Where is the blood from the other hospitals?"He turned his head. His voice was low, rumbling like distant thunder.He fixed his gaze on the attending physician, who was frantically checking a stack of documents.The doctor wiped his forehead. His palms were slick with sweat; his voice trembled as he spoke."Mr. Wells, we've... we've already contacted the blood bank. But Mr. Sinclair's blood type is Rh-negative Golden Blood. It's incredibly rare. Our hospital's stock is exhausted.""To pull from the municipal blood bank, we need three levels of approval. Plus, with current traffic..." He swallowed hard. "It will take at least three hours."

Nicholas remained silent for a moment, his mind racing.Regarding Ryan's true identity, he decided to keep his mouth shut for now.He needed to touch base with the Old Master in the Capital and confirm the situation before making a move.He adjusted his expression, putting on a look of sincere gratitude."It's nothing, really. I'm just incredibly thankful you saved my life. If you hadn't charged in there, I'd be a dead man."Ryan lay on the bed, his face calm. He gave a faint, detached response."It was just my job."Nicholas smiled and didn't push further.But the respect in his eyes deepened.Ryan wasn't even the firefighter assigned to that sector. He could have ignored it. He could have walked away.But he didn't.He had charged into the inferno without a word, completely disregarding his own safety.That was true character.Nicholas turned and pushed open the door, beckoning the hospital director who was waiting outside."Director Strauss," Nicholas's tone was absolute. "I want h

Hayden University. Finance Department.The afternoon sun spilled across the courtyard in front of the teaching building.A girl lowered her phone and let out a soft sigh.She had beautiful blonde hair.It cascaded over her shoulders, contrasting perfectly with her plain white dress.She looked fresh. Radiant.An emerald hairclip was pinned in her hair—shaped like a firefly. It shimmered faintly in the light.She clutched a few thick finance textbooks to her chest and just stood there, silently.Olivia Wells.The eldest daughter of the Wells family. Nicholas Wells' only child.She was a top student at Hayden University, majoring in finance.The guys walking past were all stealing glances at her.Some even turned their heads after walking by.She was too striking—the undisputed beauty of the campus.The most popular girl in school.Another girl came running up to her.She was pretty, too—refined features and a tall frame—but standing next to Olivia, she seemed to fade into the backgroun

The cold air of the underground garage hit her like a physical blow.Elise stumbled toward her red Ferrari, slamming the door shut.Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps.With trembling hands, she tapped on her contacts list.Ryan. Ryan. Ryan.Aside from that one name, a jolt of terror went through her.She didn't have a single person who could act as a link to him.Friends? Did he even have any?In three years of marriage, she had never once stepped into his social circle.She couldn't recall him ever mentioning a specific name.Whenever he tried to share the mundane details of his day, she would cut him off with an impatient sigh before launching into a monologue about Nexora’s financial reports.In the balance sheet she called a "home," Ryan’s friends, hobbies, and social life were all categorized as "non-essential assets."They had been ruthlessly written off."Dammit!"Elise let out a frantic scream. She began to dial the main lines for every major hospital in Hayden City."He