Nora Reynolds forced herself to calm down, stepping out from the shadowed corridor. She suppressed her irritation as she typed on her phone, heading toward the gala hall—truthfully, she just wanted to avoid everyone, but clearly that wasn’t an option tonight.

When Nora reached the main ballroom, Adrian Cole and Vivian Lane were already gone.

Ryan Brooks was still trying to keep Ethan Blake from leaving, asking why he was running off so quickly.

“You never invite me to those dinners with Ron,” Ryan complained.

Ethan was silent for a moment, then opened his eyes again, sharp as a blade.

Ryan sighed. “Fine. Once I start my new job, we’ll see each other even less.”

“At least you’re back now,” Ethan said. “Compared to before, we’ll definitely meet more often.”

Ryan grinned. “Then next time, can you at least invite me to one of those meetings?”

“Pay the protection fee first,” Ethan replied with a smirk.

Ryan bared his teeth. “You’re such a hustler.”

Ethan clapped him on the shoulder, still with his back to Nora. “I’ve never actually hustled you out of any money.”

Then Ethan left. Ryan cursed under his breath before turning back and spotting Nora.

“You came?” he asked.

“I saw your message,” Nora replied.

Ryan handed her a beautiful blue velvet box. “Brought this back from a Christie’s auction.”

Nora opened it. “You even thought of me while you were overseas?”

Ryan smiled warmly, towering over her, and ruffled her soft hair.

“Our parents are both trying to set us up,” he said gently. “What do you think about that?”

Unlike Adrian, who was always tense and guarded, Ryan was gentle and composed. His soft-spoken manner and steady temperament soothed the hurt left on Nora’s heart by Ethan’s earlier words. She smiled.

“With your friend here just now, it wasn’t convenient to talk. But yes, I agree to date you, Ryan.”

Ryan’s smile deepened. “This is your little gift, Nora. Thank you for accepting me.”

Nora had never been coaxed so tenderly by a boyfriend before. Her nose stung with sudden warmth.

“Love goes both ways,” she said softly. “Next time, I’ll get you something.”

“Deal,” Ryan said, blinking playfully.

The gala ended close to midnight. Daniel Reynolds strode up to her, his long legs eating up the distance, brows slightly raised.

“I heard you’re going to date Ryan Brooks. Is that true?”

Nora looped her arm through his and smiled. “What do you think, big brother?”

Daniel frowned, his sharp features hard. “In theory, fine—but in practice, I still need to see what kind of man he is.”

Nora nearly laughed. Daniel was clearly on high alert. Then, he suddenly changed the subject.

“Nora, did you date anyone while you were overseas?”

Daniel’s expression was fierce, giving off the vibe of a father interrogating a wayward child.

She gave a nervous laugh. “Brother, did you hear something?”

Daniel let out a cold chuckle. “I heard something tonight that made Mom and Dad furious. How dare someone spread rumors about you?”

He gave her a sidelong glance, letting his words hang. Nora felt her chest tighten under the pressure.

“So?” Daniel pressed. “Did you or didn’t you?”

“No,” Nora said quickly, gritting her teeth.

She cursed Adrian silently in her heart—this troublemaker! It was bad enough he didn’t know who she really was, but to spread rumors to her father?

Just as Nora was about to escape, Daniel grabbed the sash of her dress.

“Stand still!” he barked.

“Mom and Dad want to see you. Come with me!”

“Nooo, Daniel, please—”

With Nora’s status in the Reynolds family, even the smallest ripple could trigger a full family meeting. Soon, she was sitting alone, facing the entire family.

Daniel looked like a strict professor, only missing a pair of glasses before he could step behind a lectern.

“Be honest!” he demanded.

Nora smiled sweetly, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Don’t be so serious, brother.”

Daniel cracked a reluctant laugh. “Stop talking back and just answer me!”

Nora pouted, but stayed quiet.

Robert Reynolds, unable to watch his daughter being scolded, softened instantly.

“Don’t be scared, Nora. If you don’t want to talk, don’t. Ignore your brother,” he said, shooting Daniel a glare. As patriarch, Robert’s authority was absolute—but Daniel was one of the few who could stand up to it.

Linda Reynolds gave her husband a single look, and he immediately bowed his head.

“Honey, what do you want to say?” he asked meekly.

Robert’s teacup was quickly offered to her, trying to please. Nora secretly sighed—her father was a typical wife-and-daughter doting man, siding with his wife seventy percent of the time and his daughter the other thirty.

Nora was long used to it. Linda was the one Robert cared for most in the world—whatever she wanted, he would follow without question.

Linda blew away the tea leaves on the surface before speaking.

“That man said he married you. Is it true?”

Nora froze, then tightened her clasped hands.

“Mom, it’s… a little complicated. Can you let me explain it slowly?”

Linda’s sharp gaze fixed on her, but she didn’t lash out.

“I know I shouldn’t take only his word for it,” she said evenly.

“Mom,” Nora said quickly, “I promise I’ll handle this.”

Linda’s disappointment was written all over her face.

“Nora, you never used to lie,” she said softly.

Nora’s eyes filled with tears, her lashes trembling like butterfly wings.

“Mom, please… just give me a little time?”

Linda shook her head. “It’s okay, honey. No matter what you decide, I’ll support you. But promise me—you must never let yourself get hurt.”

“I promise, Mom,” Nora said solemnly.

“Good,” Linda replied. “Just don’t hide things from me.”

Guilt twisted inside Nora. She had always been the perfect daughter—yet she was hiding the deepest secret of all.

Sweat beaded under her bangs as Linda sent Robert and Daniel away.

“There are things I need to discuss with Nora alone,” she said.

Once they were gone, Linda grew serious.

“Tell me the truth—have you ever been pregnant?”

Nora nearly broke into a sweat.

“No, no! Absolutely not!”

Linda could tell at a glance whether her daughter was lying.

“Then maybe you should wait a bit before starting a relationship with Ryan,” she suggested. “Clear this up first.”

“No need, Mom. I can handle it,” Nora said with a determined nod.

“Good. You’ll see Ryan soon—try to make it work between you two,” Linda said, her words carrying a subtle pressure.

Truthfully, Nora didn’t feel strongly about Ryan one way or the other, but with her mother’s words, it felt like a mission.

It was a heavy, invisible burden—but maybe Ryan would make a good life partner.

“Your job is all arranged?” Linda asked.

“Yes. I start tomorrow,” Nora replied.

“Good. As long as you’re here, your father and I will always protect you,” Linda said.

Nora nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“I’m going to rest now,” Linda said.

That night, Nora lay awake for hours, ignoring the deeper meaning hidden in her mother’s words.

The next day, at St. Mary’s Medical Center, she ran into Ryan in the cardiothoracic department—and froze.

They met head-on, with no escape.

Ryan saw her too. Wearing his white coat, he quickly finished giving instructions to the head nurse before walking toward her.

“Nora.”

Nora nodded, masking her surprise with ease. “Ryan.”

“Lunch together?” he asked.

“First day on the job—probably too busy,” Nora said with a small smile.

“That’s fine. We can wait until you have time,” Ryan replied warmly.

After a brief greeting, Nora headed straight to the hospital director’s office. St. Mary’s was a private hospital, and her transfer from Brookdale had gone straight to the top.

Her father had promised not to intervene, but Nora remained skeptical.

The director was welcoming, his manner almost too warm.

“You were an Attending Physician in Brookdale?”

“Yes,” Nora said. She was a core anesthesiologist, handling surgeries, post-op pain management, and emergency ICU cases. “I’ve handled over a thousand operations.”

“We’re short an Associate Director in Anesthesiology,” the director said. “Can you start right away?”

Nora blinked. “Associate Director?”

Leaving Brookdale had meant walking away from five years of work experience and local networks. Just last month, her old director had promised her a promotion by mid-year—but every institution had its politics. Rarely did a newcomer get handed such an important title on day one.

The director nodded firmly. “A talent like you shouldn’t be buried.”

A weight pressed down on Nora’s chest—after all, the higher you stand, the harder you fall.

“If possible, I’d like to go through the normal promotion process,” she said carefully. “Otherwise, I worry people will talk.”

“That won’t do,” the director said, frowning. “Without someone in that position, the department can’t grow.” Then he softened his tone. “Trust my judgment.”

Nora reluctantly accepted. She knew the pay gap between a regular doctor and an Associate Director was significant—but now, on her very first day, she had been thrown straight into the spotlight.

Fortunately, she understood human nature and had preemptively bought Starbucks for everyone in the department.

Still, the gossip came quickly.

“Did you hear? The new doctor just took Dr. Lee’s position. And the director handpicked her—ridiculous, right?”

“No kidding. Total nepotism case.”

“Dr. Lee has been here five years. She just swoops in and takes the spot? And she doesn’t even need the extra ten grand a month.”

Ten thousand—the difference in monthly salary between Associate Director and a regular doctor. It was far better than what she’d had in Brookdale.

But Nora didn’t care much about the money—one design commission could feed her for years. Her work was about purpose, not survival.

For most of her colleagues, though, their job was their lifeline.

Nora hesitated at the doorway, debating whether to enter.

At that moment, she heard the voice of the woman they called “Dr. Lee.”

“I know you’re all worried about me, but this is the director’s decision—we can’t do anything about it.”

“But Dr. Lee, who knows when the next promotion will come? And you still have a mortgage to pay!”

Nora closed her eyes and let out a small, wry laugh.

Running away wasn’t a solution either.

She chose a moment when the room was full of sighs and knocked on the door.

The woman who opened it had swollen, red-rimmed eyes.