Sarah knew exactly how bad Lucy's situation was.While James had sent people to care for Lucy, Zachary's staff ensured she was treated like any other patient.Working in her office, Sarah was puzzled when a courier called her name.Opening the package, she found a photo Zachary had secretly taken last night - her sleeping peacefully while his hand stroked her hair.Blushing, she tucked the photo in her drawer just as a text arrived from Zachary: "Got it?"She replied, "Yes, why send it by courier when..." we'll see each other after work."Couldn't wait." Sarah felt warmth spread through her chest. They were acting like college sweethearts - childish but happy.Was this what the honeymoon phase felt like? She'd never experienced it. With James, she'd performed a one-woman show. This was so much sweeter.That evening, Zachary came as promised.Mia bounced into the car, having noticed the pink bubble around them.Zachary handed ice cream to both her and Sarah. "Oh, I got one too
"You're hurt,” he said softly, his voice tinged with concern.Dark, heavy clouds split open with a blinding flash of lightning, thunder rumbling. Sarah flinched and pressed herself into Zachary's arms, trembling.She had always been terrified of thunderstorms.Zachary held her close, one arm wrapped around her waist, his other hand gently stroking her hair.She didn't notice the flicker of guilt and subtle anxiety in his eyes.Sarah breathed in his comforting scent, feeling completely secure. He must be apologizing for not reaching her sooner during the storm.The next morning, the night's rain had completely vanished. Golden sunlight radiated intense warmth, as if the previous night's tempest had never occurred.Sarah opened her amber eyes to find the bed empty. The pillow was still warm - he had left quite some time ago.Dressed and ready, she walked into the kitchen. Breakfast was already prepared, a small note beside her plate."Good morning, I've gone to work."Below the
The girl nodded silently.Sarah was leaving her office when James called. She didn't want to talk and immediately hung up.Mia and Zachary had already departed for the auction. Sarah knew the walk from campus to her apartment was brief.As she approached her building, a car pulled up. The window lowered, revealing Charlotte, who called out urgently: "Miss Sanders, grandfather has collapsed!"Sarah's heart raced. "What?!""Get in!"Without hesitation, Sarah jumped into Charlotte's car. Perhaps those persistent calls from James had been about this emergency, though she'd dismissed them earlier.At the hospital, James stood slumped against the doorway while nurses moved in and out of his father's room.She approached him, brow furrowed. "What happened to your father?"James looked haggard, a flash of unease crossing his eyes. "The butler called. I'm not entirely sure."Charlotte watched their interaction, her fists clenched, her mind seemingly elsewhere.A nurse emerged, report
Even though Richard doted on her, Lucy was still his real granddaughter. He could accept his granddaughter being taught a lesson, but he couldn't bear to watch her suffer indefinitely.Sarah stood up, rubbing her numb legs from crouching. "Grandfather, because you've been good to me, I can be lenient. But I'm not sure she'll change her ways."She had given Lucy multiple chances, yet Lucy kept stirring up trouble time and time again.Richard sighed, "Don't worry, once she's out, I'll confine her to the old mansion. I won't let her cause you any more trouble. If there's a next time, I absolutely won't have the nerve to come asking for mercy again."For an elder to plead on behalf of a younger generation was already quite humbling. The fact that he was asking Sarah made it an even bigger decision.If Mrs. Chancer and James hadn't repeatedly come to beg him, crying and showing him videos, he wouldn't have gotten involved at all.Sarah nodded. She could ignore James and Mrs. Chancer,
Mia angrily exclaimed, "The Chancers are so despicable! This must be James and his mother's doing again.""Oh well, never mind that. I'll just have to trouble Mr. Reynolds now," Sarah said with a smile, looking toward Zachary.Seeing her mood brighten, Mia quickly pointed to a box on the table. "Sarah, look at this!"Zachary nodded encouragingly - the box had a distinctly classic appearance.When she opened it, inside was a necklace."This is the necklace my brother got at the auction. Isn't it beautiful? It's called the Heart of the Volcano. I've never seen such a large red diamond!"Beyond the red diamond, what made this necklace special was its design - it was created by the late master jeweler Felman. It had once belonged to a financial tycoon, and now it had somehow appeared at an auction house on the East Coast."It's gorgeous."“Zac, hurry and put it on Sarah!" Mia urged.Zachary picked up the necklace and gently brushed aside Sarah's hair to fasten it. The red diamon
That morning, bombshell news shook the entire media world - James Chancer was getting married again after his divorce.The story had been trending since dawn. Sarah saw the news when she arrived at her psychology counseling office at Adams University.She had barely glanced at her phone screen when a woman entered her office.It was Charlotte!"Miss Garnett, the counseling office is only open to university students," Sarah said coldly.Charlotte smiled graciously, "Miss Sanders, there's no need for such hostility. I'm here to process Lucy's leave of absence.""If you're looking to process a leave of absence, the administrative office is in the second building after you exit this door. I need to work now," Sarah said expressionlessly, lowering her head to organize her things, ignoring Charlotte."Miss Sanders, I've already handled the paperwork. I just passed by to give you something." Charlotte took out a dark red invitation from her bag and placed it on Sarah's desk.The invit
He truly couldn't remember what Sarah's wedding dress had looked like, or how stunning she had been. All he remembered was her face flushed pink as she spoke those words, shy and adorable.His heart constricted painfully. Coming back to the present, he saw Charlotte looking at him with confusion. "James?"James quickly forced a smile, "You look beautiful."Late that night, Sarah had just picked up her phone when she received a call from overseas - it was Jane.“Jane?” she asked puzzled, sitting on the sofa and turning on the TV, which was showing the latest news.“Sarah, my senior colleague is returning to the country tomorrow. I've already told him about you and briefly explained your situation. You can contact him directly when he arrives," Jane's voice was gentle yet firm.The TV was broadcasting news about James and Charlotte's wedding: "According to reports, Dr. Scott Rogers, the psychology PhD from the M. Country, will be returning home soon and will attend this wedding..."
Lucy snorted coldly. She just wanted to confirm Sarah would appear at the wedding. She wanted Sarah to witness her brother marrying another woman with her own eyes - let's see her keep up her act then!Sarah entered the wedding venue, handed over her gift money, and found a random seat among strangers.After sitting down, she casually scanned the room for Scott, whose photo she'd seen in yesterday's news.Many guests were studying Sarah - quite a few had attended her wedding to James, and they couldn't help but gossip about an ex-wife attending her former husband's wedding.Lucy immediately nudged her mother, "Mom! She really came!"Mrs. Chancer glared, "I don't know what's wrong with your brother and his wife to invite her. It's bad luck!"The tables were laden with desserts. Sarah, focused on her search, was intercepted by James behind a pillar. "You really came!"Sarah tried to ignore him and walk past, but James blocked her path. "Don't go."Sarah glared at him, "Mr. Chance
The scenery here had a unique charm. The entire villa complex was surrounded by lush greenery that blended naturally with the surroundings. The designer's bold vision was enough to make anyone feel a sense of wonder.The driver turned off the engine and said dutifully through the rearview mirror, "Miss, we've arrived. Would you like to get out?"Vivian stared silently at these homes that even a fortune couldn't buy, then nodded.The driver got out and opened the rear door for her.Stepping onto the ground in her high heels, Vivian noticed the uneven cobblestones covering the entrance to the villa and immediately thought the designer must have been out of their mind.She tried taking a few steps and nearly twisted her ankle.With no choice left, Vivian had to take off her shoes and carry them, continuing forward carefully.She couldn't help wondering if she had made a mistake. How could Zachary possibly live in such an odd place?However, halfway there, she saw a black Range Rove
The vineyard manager frowned when he heard this, walking over to ask, "What did they say?"Seeing his manager, the worker quickly embellished the conversation, raising his fist indignantly. "Sir, don't worry. If they dare cause trouble, we won't back down. We'll make sure they regret coming here."The vineyard manager, "..." What a jumbled mess—he could barely understand what the worker was saying.Still, Vivian had a point. Even if they chose not to continue the partnership, there was no need to burn bridges completely. That wouldn't benefit him either.With this in mind, the vineyard manager calmed down his overly excited worker. "That's enough. Send them a message and tell them five o'clock this afternoon, River Café. Don't be late."Finally meeting the vineyard manager, Vivian got straight to the point, "Mr. Mendeson, I won't play games with you. Before deciding to work with you, the Wilson Group researched your public information. I have some understanding of your character. B
At the front desk, Sarah watched seven or eight people standing in line, all holding identical discount vouchers. This was likely a company team-building activity.She listened to their chatty discussions, which included some crude language as they made no effort to hide their rough backgrounds."This place is so luxurious! The company really splurged to send us somewhere this fancy. I've never stayed in such a nice hotel in my life.""Me neither, but let's not forget why we're actually here and pretend we're just on vacation!""Oh, come on, who's going to forget?"Sarah's ears perked up. These people's conversation seemed suspicious, almost as if they wanted others to notice them.After about fifteen minutes, when everyone ahead had finally checked in, Sarah presented her VIP custom invitation and completed her member registration. She lay on the spacious bed in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered views of the beach and ocean.It was noon, and sunlight spilled onto
"Mr. Sanders, I believe I was very clear in my email. With the current uncertain situation, cooperating with me is the most rational choice," Zachary said seriously.Melvin burst out laughing. "I might have believed you if you'd said this a few years ago, but times have changed. Zachary, do you remember what you promised me before? Have you kept any of those promises? Neither three years ago nor now have you delivered."When Melvin mentioned three years ago, Zachary's eyes filled with gravity and shame. No one understood better than they did what had happened—that horrific scene was too painful to even think about.He moved his lips. "People can't always live in the past."Even he couldn't believe his own words.Melvin said with self-mockery, "Listen to yourself. How absurd that sounds. People indeed can't live in the past forever, but Sarah has been trapped in that darkness for three years. Do you dare to face it? To uncover it?"After being wounded, a bleeding injury slowly form
Vivian exhaled deeply and said anxiously, "Grandfather, what happened last time upset Zachary, and he won't see me now. But I'll handle it properly."Old Mr. Wilson gave Vivian a meaningful look. "Good. I certainly trust your abilities."After seeing Old Mr. Wilson into his car, Vivian returned to her office and made a mysterious phone call, giving some instructions.After hanging up, her face broke into a satisfied smile, as if she was already enjoying the sweet taste of victory.At the Sanders Group."Smack." Sarah hit Melvin hard on the head.Melvin winced in pain. "Are you doing this on purpose? Taking personal revenge? I haven't even bothered you lately."Sarah shrugged, looking innocent. "Didn't you say your right eyelid keeps twitching? The left means money coming, the right means trouble. I'm just using an old folk remedy to ward off the bad luck."Melvin couldn't help rolling his eyes. "I don't know if the bad luck is gone, but I almost got a concussion from your 'remed
"Don't any of you have something to say?" Old Mr. Wilson sat in the chairman's exclusive seat, leaning back with an expressionless face as he surveyed the room.Some shareholders had come just out of respect for Old Mr. Wilson. They exchanged glances for a moment before Mr. Jefferson finally broke the silence, "What if we lower our prices or add more package deals?"As soon as he finished speaking, several members of the company's management team eagerly agreed. "Mr. Jefferson makes a good point."Old Mr. Wilson twirled the dragon-headed cane in his right hand, his expression revealing neither approval nor disapproval.Vivian, who had remained silent since the start of the meeting, finally spoke up, "I don't think that's appropriate."She looked at everyone present, her tone serious, "First, the Sanders Group's revenue has already exceeded the projected line by over a billion. If we lower our prices, even if we attract more customers, the overall result will be the same."By this
Vivian never expected that despite her orders to keep the detained shipment a secret, the board of directors would somehow catch wind of it.As soon as the meeting began, the middle-aged man sitting in the first seat on the right frowned and questioned her, "Ms. Wilson, are you hiding something from us?"Mr. Jefferson had the largest shareholding in the Wilson Group after Vivian and her grandfather. Compared to others, his words carried more authority.Naturally, Vivian had to show him some respect, given that she was the younger generation."Mr. Jefferson, by seniority, I should call you Uncle. You've watched me grow up. Do you think I would hide anything from you?" Vivian decided to play dumb first. She was certain these people had only heard rumors and hadn't yet gathered evidence.This was indeed the case. Mr. Jefferson narrowed his eyes, his expression unchanged, speaking in a tone that was half-joking, half-threatening, "Ms. Wilson, please don't say that. When it comes to bus
Charlotte ignored her, still peering behind the caretaker.The caretaker patted her chest and smiled as she approached. "Are you looking for Mr. Chancer? He went back to work. He asked me to take care of you. I thought you might wake up soon, so I went out to buy some nutritious soup for you.""You're saying he left? He left before I even woke up?" Charlotte struggled to open her dry lips, her voice raspier than ever before.Hearing this, the caretaker quickly set down the thermos and handed her the cup of tea from the table. "Please drink some water to soothe your throat, but don't drink too much. You've just given birth, so try to stay in bed and rest as much as possible."Charlotte found the water being offered to her ironically bitter.She had endured excruciating pain to give birth to James's child, yet he couldn't even spare a simple "thank you" for her efforts. Was this the marriage she had schemed so hard to get?Did she regret it? If someone asked, she might answer yes, b
"Answer me. Do you most hope it's heads or tails?" Sarah's voice carried an undeniable authority.The woman finally spoke. "Tails."Before Sarah's hand moved, the woman hurriedly corrected herself, "No, no, no—heads."Her indecisiveness reminded Sarah of her former self. Choosing between reason and emotion was often the hardest decision. It had once taken her several days to make up her mind.Sarah opened her palm. The woman's eyes widened, staring as if trying to burn a hole through Sarah's hand. But quickly, she discovered that Sarah's palm was completely empty. There was no coin at all.No heads or tails—there wasn't even a coin to begin with.Seeing the woman's confused expression, Sarah smiled and said, "In the moment I opened my hand, your heart already had the answer. I can't tell you how to solve your problem, nor can I make the decision for you. But you should know that you only have one life, while love can be found more than once. The fact that you're troubled by this s