Naya woke in silk sheets. Her body still hummed from the night before—every kiss, every moan from Nian replaying in waves through her skin. He lay beside her, arm draped protectively across her waist, his face calm in sleep.
For a moment, she allowed herself to believe this was everything she needed.
Until her phone buzzed again.
> Message from: Unknown "The storm's just beginning, little dove. Check the news."
Her chest tightened.
She gently untangled herself from Nian's embrace and padded across the penthouse in his oversized shirt. She tapped open her browser.
> BREAKING NEWS: Zhang Holdings CEO Involved in Medical Ethics Scandal in South Sudan?
Her blood drained.
There, splashed in dramatic font, was Nian's face—cold, powerful, taken from a corporate gala in Shanghai.
Underneath: a photo of Juba hospital. A red headline screamed "Human Testing Cover-up?"
Naya staggered backward.
No. No. This couldn't be real.
Behind her, Nian stirred. "Naya?"
She turned, eyes wide.
"What the hell is this?"
---
Across Henan, phones lit up. At the hospital, whispers flew from one department to the next.
> "Did you hear?" "He's a CEO? Of that Zhang Holdings?" "What's this about experimenting on trauma patients in Africa?"
Dr. Huilin found Naya by the nurse's desk, her face pale.
"You didn't know?" she asked, brows raised in disbelief. "He never told you?"
Naya shook her head.
"But you two—" Dr. Huilin stopped, letting the silence finish the thought.
Suddenly, it wasn't just Nian's career on the line. It was Naya's integrity too.
---
As the sun dipped low, Naya found herself on the rooftop bar she used to visit when she first arrived in Henan. She needed air. Answers. Silence.
But Jun was already there, sipping wine like he owned the sky.
He didn't look surprised to see her.
"Rough morning?" he asked smoothly.
"You had something to do with this, didn't you?"
He didn't deny it.
"I simply gave truth a little spotlight. The world deserved to know."
"It's not truth. You're twisting things—"
"Am I?" Jun's voice dropped dangerously. "Did he tell you why he suddenly left South Sudan? Why a surgeon with global acclaim buried himself in fieldwork in a war zone?"
Naya's lips parted, unsure.
Jun stepped close, his whisper chilling.
"Ask him about Project Seraphim."
She blinked. "What the hell is that?"
He smiled, cruel and beautiful. "Exactly."
---
Naya returned to Nian's suite. He was on the phone, shouting in Mandarin. His normally composed demeanor was cracking.
The moment he saw her, he hung up. "I didn't want you to find out this way."
"So it's true?" she asked, voice trembling. "You were testing unapproved tech on trauma patients?"
"It's not what it looks like," he said quickly. "The project was a prototype—we were trying to save lives, Naya. Soldiers. Civilians caught in conflict."
"But did they consent, Nian?" Her voice broke. "Did anyone know what was being done to them?"
His silence was too loud.
Naya took a step back.
"I trusted you."
"I did it for good," he said. "But when the board found out, they shut it down. Buried the evidence. I took the fall because I believed in it—still do."
"You hid your identity. Lied by omission. Let me fall for a man I don't even recognize."
He reached for her. "You still know my heart."
She shook her head, eyes glassy. "I don't know anything anymore."
---
Meanwhile, deep in a hidden communications office—Jun stood before a glowing monitor.
He was no longer alone.
A woman in a crimson blazer and heels stood next to him, lips curled in satisfaction. Her name: Mei Chen—Nian's former board member and the woman who'd once tried to take over Zhang Holdings.
"You've done well," she purred, eyes on Jun. "Now, for phase three."
Jun looked hesitant for the first time. "Naya doesn't deserve to get hurt."
"Then stay out of the way."
She slid a file toward him—one that contained Naya's immigration status, her internship contract, and a quiet report labeled Visa Violation Risk.
Jun's eyes widened.
"This isn't part of the deal—"
"Sweetheart," Mei cut in, "we don't get to choose the collateral damage."
---
Back at her apartment, Naya sat on the floor, laptop beside her, tears streaming down her face.
She had believed in love. In second chances. In Nian.
But now the man she gave her body and soul to—was tangled in a web of scandal, secrets, and betrayals.
And Jun? His presence no longer felt like a temptation. It felt like a trap.
She covered her mouth with her hand.
What had she gotten herself into?
Then—
> Buzz. New Email.
Subject: Project Seraphim Classified Report
"Thought you'd want to know the full truth. You're in deeper than you think."
—J
Naya clicked.
What she read made her scream.