I thought that after Gillian's surgery was successfully completed, I would have fulfilled my obligation to Nicolas for the billion he paid, and there would be no further ties between him and me.

But to my surprise, Nicolas got my work number under the name Dr. Sini and added me to his contacts. He relentlessly bombarded me with messages every day.

"Dr. Sini, I admire you so much. You are the most dazzling woman in the world. Do you have time to grab a meal? I'd like to thank you personally."

I deliberately replied, "Will you thank me for saving your lover?"

Nicolas responded instantly, "Gillian and I are just ordinary colleagues."

I raised my eyebrows and asked, "Didn't you say your wife was gravely ill and always stayed by your side?"

A minute later, Nicolas replied again, "She passed away a month ago. I'm single now. I just felt sorry for Gillian and wanted you to treat her out of kindness."

Nicolas still feigned deep affection. "You know what? You remind me so much of my late wife. You are both so smart and brave."

I felt sick to my stomach.

It seemed that in Nicolas's eyes, Dr. Sini was now more valuable than Gillian.

How ironic it was that he had no idea I was the "deceased" wife he spoke of.

Nicolas persistently bought me flowers and asked me out to dinner. I refused him every time.

He didn't know I was preparing a "surprise" for him at the Premier Medical Summit.

In the days leading up to the summit, a nurse told me that Gillian refused to cooperate with her treatment.

I donned my white coat and went to her hospital room. "If you don't cooperate with your follow-up treatment, even the most perfect surgery won't save your life."

Gillian was hostile towards me. "How do I know if you're here to save me or harm me?"

The nurse defended me, saying, "Dr. Sini would never harm you."

I stopped the nurse from arguing with Gillian and asked the nurse to leave the room so I could speak with Gillian privately.

Gillian proudly raised her head. "Dr. Sini, I recognized you. You are Nicolas's wife, Lorna. I never thought you were Sini."

"Yes, it's me."

"I don't trust your treatment plan. I want a different attending physician. You're jealous that I have Nicolas's love, and you'll kill me."

I stood calmly by her bedside and said, "Don't be foolish."

She glared at me.

"If I wanted to harm you, you wouldn't have survived the operating table."

"I..."

"Do you not understand how dangerous your condition is? Do you know why Nicolas was willing to spend a billion to save you?"

"Of course. He loves me. No matter how sick I am, he won't leave me."

I bluntly laid out the harsh reality. "It's because your father holds the key to a lucrative new project."

Gillian shouted at me in anger, "No way. He loves me."

"Really? Do you know why your condition suddenly worsened?" I tossed her surgery records at her. "Because you were pregnant."

Gillian looked at her report in shock.

"Nicolas knew your health couldn't bear a baby, yet he couldn't control his desires. Does he love you?"

"He is..."

"What is he? Now you have no more use for him. He's moved on to a new target. If I'm not mistaken, he hasn't visited you in a long time, has he?"

Gillian bit her lip, and her face turned grim. "I don't believe it."

I showed Gillian the chat logs on my phone, filled with Nicolas's confessions and praises for me.

"There are also voice messages. Want to hear them?" I casually played a few, and Nicolas's voice was unmistakably clear.

"Sini, I think I'm in love with you."

"It's strange that we haven't even met, but I'm already in love with you. You're so enchanting."

"Gillian and I are just very ordinary colleagues. I would never marry a wife with an illness."

The room fell into a deafening silence.

Gillian clutched the bed sheets tightly. Then she suddenly broke down. She covered her face and burst into tears.

I took a seat beside her hospital bed. "Gillian, I have to say that I really dislike you privately, but as your doctor, I hope you cherish your life."

I described how perilous she was on her surgery day. "Your life was snatched back from death's grip after eleven hours by the medical staff. We sincerely hope you live on, so please value your life and cooperate with the treatment. Only by staying alive can you witness Nicolas receiving the punishment he deserves."

I said those words were for her, but also for myself.

Gillian looked up at me, and her eyes looked vulnerable, like a lost kitten's.

Gillian agreed to the follow-up treatment plan, and her recovery was stable.

The day before the Premier Medical Summit, Jase suddenly called me and told me that Gillian wanted to see me.

In the hospital room, Gillian looked much better. She asked, "Tomorrow, you're going to expose Nicolas's true colors to everyone, aren't you?"

I affirmed it. "Yes."

Gillian retrieved a special appointment certificate from under her pillow and handed it to me. "If you're willing, I will recommend you as a special consultant for the Ford Pharmaceutical Group. You must know the position was originally meant for Nicolas."

I was surprised.

Gillian seemed to have grown wiser overnight. "Dr. Norris, I've already told my father to cancel the plan to hire Nicolas. He deceived me. So I don't want to hire him."

Gillian looked at me solemnly. "Dr. Norris, as the heiress of the Ford Pharmaceutical Group, I give you the offer. Would you be willing to become our special consultant?"

I signed the special appointment agreement.

I solemnly promised Gillian, saying, "No matter what happened between us, I will work with an objective and fair mindset."

"I trust you, Dr. Norris."

"Thank you."

With the weighty appointment letter in hand, I returned to my place. Nicolas probably still didn't know he lost the position and was basking in the joy of becoming a special consultant of the Ford Pharmaceutical Group.

But his sweet dream was about to shatter.

The next day, I set off two hours early to attend the Premier Medical Summit.

Just as I stepped out of the neighborhood, a hand suddenly covered my mouth and nose and dragged me into a car.

The vehicle sped towards the outskirts, and I was tied up and gagged.

But I recognized the driver. It was Nicolas's assistant, Richard Norris.

He gave me a smile and said, "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Shaw. You hid well. It took me quite an effort to find out where you live."

My eyes widened. Nicolas had found where I lived.

Damn it!

Richard parked the car in front of an abandoned house, and two men dragged me out of the car.

Nicolas was waiting there for me.

He scrutinized me seriously. "I didn't expect that you weren't out living on the streets."

I glared at him defiantly. "What do you want?"

Nicolas's gaze was venomous. "Lorna, only your death will keep you silent forever and ensure you never have the chance to expose me."

He pushed me into the wooden house and drenched the door with gasoline. Then he set it ablaze. "Lorna, take those recordings to your grave."

The thick black smoke choked me and brought tears to my eyes, but I knew I couldn't panic now.

I had to stay calm so that I might have a chance of survival.

I desperately worked to free my bound hands.

I had anticipated that Nicolas might seek revenge, so I had set Jase as my emergency contact.

When I was in danger, pressing the emergency call button on my watch would automatically send my location to Jase.

I had already pressed the emergency button in the car, and Jase should have received my location by now.

I pressed the call button on my smartwatch again, and Jase quickly answered, "Lorna, don't be afraid. I'm on my way."

Hearing his anxious voice, I strangely felt reassured.

I believed Jase was reliable, and he must be rushing over.

True to form, in less than five minutes, he arrived swiftly, guided by the location. I heard someone outside desperately breaking the lock with a stone.

When he rescued me, I saw his fingers were bleeding.

I gave him a grateful look. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," Jase replied, looking at me with concern.

Jase was always a quiet and gentle guy. It was the first time I saw anger on his face.

"He actually tried to kill you." Jase's voice carried undisguised disdain and hostility towards Nicolas.

I said, "He's afraid I'll expose him. He's terrified of losing everything he has now."

Jase glanced at his watch and said, "We can still make it to the venue. I'll drive you there."

"But my face is a mess, and my clothes are a mess."

"I've got a dress for you."

Jase retrieved a high-fashion gown from the trunk, adorned with diamonds and dazzlingly beautiful.

I was amazed. "When did you borrow this dress?"

Jase shook his head and said, "I didn't borrow it. I had it custom-made for you three years ago."

I was even more shocked. "You had it made for me?"

"Three years ago, when I returned from an internship abroad, I wanted to give it to you." Jase looked disappointed. "But I didn't expect you to be married by then, so I didn't disturb you. Now, it finally has a chance to be of use."

He handed me the dress and said, "Try it on and see how it looks."

Jase waited outside the car while I changed into the dress inside. Surprisingly, it fit me perfectly.

Jase wiped the dirt off my face with a wet wipe and said, "You look beautiful. I'll take you to the venue now, Lorna. You can achieve what you set out to do."

"I don't know how to express my gratitude..."

"Then don't." Jase's driving skills were excellent, and he drove us smoothly and quickly to the venue.

I arrived late. The summit had already begun.

Under the spotlight, Nicolas stood at the podium and looked somber.

His voice was slightly trembling and echoed through the hall via the microphone. "Thank you all for being here. It's a real privilege to stand before you as a representative of our younger generation."

He paused briefly and managed a perfectly timed bitter smile. "I know many of our media friends were looking forward to meeting my wife. But I'm here today to share some heartbreaking news."

Nicolas's eyes glistened with perfectly timed tears. "Just yesterday at dawn, my dear wife succumbed to an illness."

A collective gasp filled the room, and several female reporters were already teary-eyed.

Nicolas feigned wiping a tear. "However, she always hoped to see my career flourish. And I will officially become a special consultant for the Ford Pharmaceutical Group today. I'll carry her love and dreams with me as I move forward. I hope she's looking down in heaven on me with pride."

This heartfelt confession prompted soft sobbing from the audience.

Just as applause was about to break out, my voice pierced through the hall clearly. "Really? But I am the special consultant for the Ford Pharmaceutical Group."

In an instant, all eyes were on me.

Nicolas's pupils contracted violently as he saw me.

His carefully crafted facade was shattered.

Amidst his shock, I ascended the stage in a dazzling diamond gown and stood beside him under the spotlight.

"Are you crazy?" Nicolas hissed through gritted teeth, "How did you get in here?"

I gave a cold smile.

Nicolas turned to the media and said, "I'm sorry, everyone, but I have some personal matters to settle with this lady."

With that, he attempted to drag me off the stage.

But at that moment, a reporter recognized me. "She's Dr. Sini. Dr. Sini, do you remember me? I was your patient and have fully recovered now."

I pushed Nicolas aside and smiled at the reporter. "Of course, I remember you. It's great to see you're well again."

Suddenly, everyone from the media erupted. They rushed towards me with cameras and microphones.

"Dr. Sini, we've been waiting for you for so long."

"Oh my God, it's really Dr. Sini!"

"We can get an interview with Dr. Sini. It's such a rare opportunity."

In the rush, Nicolas was pushed aside.

I caught a glimpse of his staggering figure through the crowd. His eyes, which had been arrogant before, were now filled with shock and disbelief.

"Dr. Sini?" he exclaimed, trying to break through the human barrier. "That's impossible. How can you be Dr. Sini?"

Before Nicolas could reach me, security had already escorted him aside.

The spotlight was fully on me.

"Dr. Sini," an experienced reporter asked excitedly, "it's been said that you've been out of the field for years. What prompted your return to the medical field?"

I watched Nicolas's face drain of color instantly.

Facing the spotlight, I slowly gave a smile and said clearly and calmly, "What prompted my return was..."

I deliberately paused, and the room fell into silent anticipation. Everyone tried to capture my every subtle expression eagerly with their cameras.

"The fact is that I am the wife who supposedly died yesterday morning, as Mr. Nicolas Shaw said."