Dozens of miles away, on Harbour Crescent Island, Vivian sat seething in front of her screen. She had watched the entire scene unfold live.What was supposed to be a flawless plan had crumbled—all because of one tiny birthmark.Those reporters had already held a favorable view of Sarah. Their earlier questions had simply been part of their job. But now that they knew the video was fake, of course they’d rush to clear her name.Vivian was so furious she nearly smashed her phone. But as she picked it up again, something caught her eye—a glimpse of someone familiar on-screen.James Chancer.Back at the venue, the party had returned to normal. Mia looked around in confusion. “Where’s Lucas? Has anyone seen him?”“He was already gone when the power came back,” Zachary said, scanning the room with caution.“There!” Scarlett pointed toward the entrance.Everyone turned. Lucas was walking in again, still bundled up in his usual layers.“Where did you go just now?” Mia asked. “You just
"Watch your damn mouth! Shut up! If you want to see something like that, go home and watch it yourself!" Mia snapped angrily. "You all came here as guests, and Sarah's been nothing but generous to you—how dare you speak about her like that?"Some reporters lowered their heads in shame, but most were still hungry for a sensational headline.Mia wanted to say more, but Sarah gently stopped her. “Let me handle it.”“Miss Sanders,” a reporter asked, “as the organizer of tonight’s event, how could you let something like this happen backstage? What was your reaction when you saw the footage? Was this an accident—or did someone release it on purpose?”Sarah remained calm. “There must be a traitor among us,” she said evenly. “As for the video itself—I have no reaction, because the woman in it is not me.”Several reporters still looked eager to press further, but one glance from Zachary was enough to make them sink back into their seats.All eyes were on Sarah now, the spotlight casting h
Lucas instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand. “Don’t be scared. I’m right here.”But Mia didn’t respond with words. All he could hear was her uneven breathing, and her grip on his hand kept tightening.He called out tentatively, “Mia? Are you still there?”She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the wave of discomfort rising in her chest. Thinking back to the treatment Sarah had given her earlier, she forced out, “Yeah... I’m here.”“I… I want to find Sarah,” she said at last, unable to hold it together.Lucas immediately picked up on her distress. “I’ll take you to her now.”But the hall was pitch black, and even he couldn’t tell which direction was which.The entire ballroom had plunged into darkness. Amid the confusion, someone shouted, “Is there a power outage?!”“Please don’t panic! We’ve already sent someone to check it out,” Sarah said calmly, stepping into the center of the room.So far, things were still under control. Several celebrities turned on their ph
“Fine, go ahead and eat it,” Sarah said, turning away.The table in front of her was lined with gingerbread cookies. She randomly grabbed a few and tossed them onto her plate, along with a couple of pastries.But Zachary circled around and stepped in front of her again, locking eyes with her.“Watch me eat it.”Sarah fought the urge to throw the plate in his face. She clenched her teeth. “What are you, five? You need someone to watch you eat an apple?”How had she never realized he was this childish before?His lips glistened with apple juice, and she instinctively swallowed. “I’ve got work to do.”“Is it really so hard,” he said, “to just say you want to kiss me?”Her eyes widened. “Who wants to kiss you, pervert?!”Her voice shot up in volume, drawing a few stares. She immediately lowered her voice again. “Narcissist.”She had no idea how to deal with him anymore. Just then, Melvin appeared, and she quickly walked over, hoping he’d drive Zachary away—he’d always hated the g
She nearly facepalmed.Which staff member bought those apples? Dock their pay.Zachary finally looked up. “You’re the only one who’s ever given me an apple.”Sarah blinked. “Seriously? You’ve never celebrated Christmas before?”“Every Christmas, tons of people try to send me gifts. I always have my assistant return them—unopened. I’ve never accepted a single one.”“That’s… kind of sad.”If Mia were standing here, she’d probably roll her eyes and say, “Sad? My Christmas apples probably ended up in some dog’s food bowl.”Zachary looked at her. “Sasa, I’m really happy today.”“You’ve only been here for five minutes,” Sarah replied, wary. “Wait! Don’t say some cheesy pickup line!”Steven wandered over just in time. “Zachary, tell her the ones I wrote for you! Way better than any cringey sweet talk.”Scarlett jumped in too, hyping him up. “Yeah! Steven is the king of romantic lines.”Sarah rubbed her forehead. There’s no saving her.“I wasn’t going to say anything cheesy,” Zacha
“Steven,” Zachary said calmly, “go back to Scarlett now. Don’t mention what just happened to anyone. And I mean anyone. Forget it, too. As for that man… I’ll look into him. Leave everything to me, alright? Acting on impulse is reckless. If you tip him off before we know the full picture, you’ll ruin everything. You don’t want him to get suspicious, do you?”Hearing Zachary’s words, Steven slowly calmed down. “Zachary… do you really think you can find him?”“I can,” Zachary replied without hesitation. “When I say I want to find someone, I never fail. And the fact that he dared come back to East Coast? That just makes it easier. He’s walked right into the trap. Don’t you want to know who’s the mastermind?”Steven nodded firmly. “I trust you, Zachary.”“Good. Then act like nothing happened. Eat, drink, have fun—just like before. Leave the rest to me.”—The banquet was going smoothly. As night fell, the weather turned chilly, so everyone moved into the hotel’s grand hall. Sarah had