Not wanting to disappoint her fan, Yvonne reluctantly agreed to the additional exhibit. The meeting had not gone the way she had planned, and during the rest of the conversation, she was half-engaged, eager for it to be over. Finally, the investor took a phone call and excused himself, leaving Yvonne to breathe a sigh of relief.Nina pouted. “What am I going to do with you? You don’t want to keep benefiting from Joe’s protection, but you also can’t bear to let your fans down.””It’s fine. Joe hasn’t woken up yet, right? I can’t leave anyway, so I might as well go along with the investor’s plans. If we cooperate this time, next time they won’t give us any trouble,” Yvonne said with a bitter smile, though she had little confidence in her words. She had been ready to breach her contract and pay the penalty, but now she was caught in organizing yet another exhibit. Yvonne sighed deeply.Nina shot her an exasperated look.As they were heading downstairs, Nina caught sight of the woman who had been following them. She recognized her from the day Winona had shown up at the hospital. She was one of Winona’s people. The woman met Nina’s gaze and, unfazed, raised her cup in a casual salute.Nina nodded slightly, pretending not to notice, but inside, her mind was racing. Why had Winona sent someone to follow them?Over the next few days, Yvonne stayed mostly in her room, focusing on her artwork, only coming down occasionally to have meals with Nina.A week later, there was news about Joe. He had been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular ward, showing signs of improvement. However, he still hadn’t woken up.Nina wanted to tell Yvonne but was stopped by Nash.”But I promised her I’d tell her as soon as there was any news,” Nina protested, confused.Nash frowned, looking concerned. “From what I’ve gathered, Joe is still in the ICU. I don’t doubt the source of your information, but I suspect someone deliberately leaked that news to mislead you.”He glanced upstairs, his expression grim. “I’ve been digging into things, and it turns out Joe was responsible for almost all of Yvonne’s achievements. Think about it, Nina. Why would Joe do all this for her without saying anything?””I don’t know, and I don’t care to know,” Nina replied, her lips pressed tightly together. She had already made up her mind. “If Winona is stirring things up, then I’ll deal with her head-on.””Don’t forget you’re pregnant,” Nash reminded her, pinching her cheek in a playful yet warning manner. He lowered his voice. “Let’s wait and see. The one who can’t sit still will show their hand first.”Nina considered his words. “Wait and see” might actually be the best approach. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re right, as always. As a reward, how about you make me my favorite dessert?””Right away,” Nash said with a grin, heading upstairs.As he passed Yvonne’s room, he paused, glancing at the door with a thoughtful expression.With only three days left until the opening of the art exhibit, people had been coming by over the past few days to collect Yvonne’s paintings for display. The advertising campaign was generating great buzz and the response was overwhelmingly positive. If Joe weren’t involved, Yvonne would have been pleased with the response.But every time she thought about how much of her success was due to Joe’s intervention, she felt conflicted. She didn’t know how to process the mix of emotions.Outwardly, she appeared to be the perfect, polished artist, but deep down, she felt so undeserving.Suddenly, with a loud crash, the last painting she had been working on toppled to the ground. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ƒindηʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.Nina rushed in, startled by the noise. “Are you feeling too much pressure? It’s okay, we don’t need to worry about deadlines. Let’s take a break! How about we go out, grab some drinks, sing karaoke, and have some fun?”Yvonne did not respond, crouching down and clutching her head. She stayed like that for a while, eventually slumping to the floor and falling asleep where she sat.