“So what would you like to eat, honey? I’ll cook it for you.”The moment Derek opened the door, he saw his wife, now dressed in her sheer silk pyjamas, getting up from the sofa where she had been sitting with a man he had just rescued from a building burning down—a fire that was still causing his legs to throb intensely.The man was wearing matching pyjamas and held a glass of rich red wine in his hand; he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it.Erin smiled as she stroked the man’s cheek. “Tell me anything you want, and I’ll make it for dinner.”Derek narrowed his eyes, his lips moving stiffly in a faint smile at her words. To him, Erin seemed so hypocritical—during their entire marriage, she had never once offered to take care of him.“Cooking isn’t a woman’s job, Derek!” she had insisted during the first week of their marriage when Derek hugged her and asked what they would have for dinner when he got home from work.She pulled away from his embrace and glared at him. “I take care of p

“Derek, we’re in a serious situation right now. Los Vangees County, which borders our city, is facing the worst wildfire in its history.” The call came from Deputy Captain Brett Holland.Derek, who answered the call, turned toward the TV to look at it again, carefully examining the live broadcast.“The fire has already crossed several ridges and is now threatening residential areas and resorts; we need to act immediately to address the situation,” he added.Faintly over the phone, Derek could hear the man coordinating with others; the hustle and bustle and the escalating tension there were clearly audible through the line.Despite having deployed all local firefighting forces, the situation was completely out of control. The state government had activated the inter-county mutual aid protocol, and the Derek team from Vendric County was currently being deployed to the front lines.This mission is extremely dangerous; in fact, on-the-ground reports continue to update the number of fatali

“Hang in there!” Derek shouted loudly.He managed to make his way to the second floor, only to find the entire floor filled with blinding, toxic smoke.Brett’s voice came over the radio again: “Derek, you’d better retreat! That old wooden building is extremely unstable and could collapse in sections at any moment.” Brett, who had been monitoring the situation, spoke in a desperate tone.However, Derek had heard those shouts. He refused to retreat. Crawling on his hands and knees, he found a female secretary who had fainted. He then shouted over the radio, “I’ve found one person!”The crew quickly responded by moving closer, while Derek dragged her to the relatively safe landing at the bottom of the stairs and placed his emergency mask over the woman’s head.“Get ready to evacuate her from under the stairs.” He gave further instructions, which were immediately followed.They came to retrieve the woman, but just as he was about to step back, the secretary briefly regained consciousness

Fae’s POV.“Should I go see him?” she muttered, letting out a heavy sigh. Fae arrived at the hospital, but she didn’t head straight for the VIP room.Years ago, after Jacob’s biological son went missing, he was nearly destroyed by grief.Later, he adopted Fae. He gave her the West surname, the best education, and a place in the West family’s most exclusive circle.Outsiders envy Fae. They say she’s the daughter raised directly by Jacob West—the luckiest girl in the West family.But only Fae knows that she’s never truly felt safe.A deep sense of inferiority has always lingered in her heart.Because in Jacob’s office, there’s always an old photo frame locked away. Inside is a photo of that missing baby.Because every year on that child’s birthday, Jacob would spend a long time alone.Because no matter how wonderful, obedient, or diligent she was, she could never fill the void in Jacob’s heart.So, when the butler told her that Jacob had found his biological son and told her to come to

“No, sir, you shouldn’t go there just yet.” Victor quickly stood up and blocked his path. The old man looked nervous, but he mustered his courage nonetheless.Fae sighed and agreed. “Victor’s right—you haven’t fully recovered yet.”Having worked as the head butler at the West residence for years, he had learned to act immediately; he then exchanged glances with his subordinate. The man who had briefly stepped out and seemed busy now returned with a tablet in his hand and handed it to Victor.Victor examined it for a moment, then showed it to Derek. “You don’t need to go that far to check what’s happening.”Dereka took the tab with a furrowed brow, then opened it. He opened a report stating that he had left his designated duty area during a wildfire support mission in Los Vangees County, disobeyed on-site orders, and entered a vacation home in Morelbu Hills without permission, thereby exposing the rescue team to unnecessary danger.Even more outrageous, Christian described Derek’s act