“You!” Lucy was furious, her anger reaching a boiling point after Sarah’s sharp comeback.How had she never noticed that Sarah could be so sharp-tongued? All that sweet, dutiful wife act back when she was married into the Chancer family had clearly been a facade!“You just wait!” Lucy stomped her foot in frustration. “I’ll make sure my brother uses his connections to get you fired. Then you’ll see what happens when you mess with me!”As far as she was concerned, getting a mere cleaner like Sarah dismissed was a simple matter.“Really? And what happens when my friend crosses you, Miss Chancer?” A clear, confident voice suddenly rang out from the crowd that had gathered around them.Mia pushed through the onlookers and, seeing that Lucy was the one giving Sarah trouble, frowned slightly. The Chancer family might not be at the top of the social ladder, but they had some standing in the East Coast, and Lucy had always used that to act high and mighty around school. Though Mia usually
Lucy hadn’t expected Mia to defend Sarah so fiercely. Her face turned pale with rage as she glared at Sarah. “You really know how to play your cards, don’t you?”Sarah’s eyes narrowed. "Lucy, yes, I was naive to fall for your brother. But let's be honest - your family had their own agenda pushing for that marriage. There should be a limit to how much you can twist reality."Lucy’s expression soured, especially as Sarah’s words reminded her of the real reason behind her brother James’s marriage to Sarah. Back then, her mother had actually supported it—partly because Richard Chancer genuinely liked Sarah and partly because they thought the marriage might provoke James’s ex, Charlotte, into returning. Realizing this, Lucy’s face contorted with frustration as she pointed at Sarah, shouting, “Twisting reality? If you’re so high and mighty, why don’t you return our family’s house? You left our family with that house like a scheming gold digger. What makes you think you deserve it?”Sara
Lindsey hadn’t even finished talking when she noticed Lucy’s expression, dark enough to storm. She quickly changed her tone, saying, “But honestly, I feel she’s not that pretty. Her nose and chin look plastic af—nothing like your natural beauty, Lucy!”Lucy knew perfectly well that Sarah hadn’t had any work done, but hearing Lindsey’s flattery still pleased her. Her expression softened.However, she couldn’t ignore the phrase “new counsellor” her friend had mentioned. Psychology department? Counsellor? Sarah Sanders?Lucy’s lips curled into a sly smile, and she motioned for Lindsey to come closer. “Lindsey, do something for me. Do it well, and last month’s Chanel bag my brother got me is yours.”…The next day.The school’s online forum was buzzing with a new thread, pinned right at the top in bright red letters:"EXPOSED: New Counselor Only Has High School Diploma - How Did She Get Hired?"It didn’t take much for people to connect this “new counsellor” with Sarah. The campus w
“The forum?” Sarah paused, looking a bit puzzled, and shook her head.Mia opened her phone, bringing up the post that had gone viral and handing it to her.“It’s this thread. Someone’s claiming you only have a high school diploma and used… other means to get hired as a counsellor here.”Mia bit her lip, her face filled with worry. Sarah glanced at the post, and suddenly, the curious glances from the office earlier made sense.Seeing Sarah’s calm reaction, Mia’s anxiety grew, her voice becoming even more concerned.“Sarah, a lot of people have seen this, and the comments… they’re really harsh. If this keeps going, it’ll be hard for you at school…”Mia’s voice trailed off, but Sarah only smiled and reassured her, her tone gentle. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a post—nothing that can hurt me. Right now, lunch is the only thing that matters.”Sarah suspected Lucy was behind the post, but she didn’t give it much thought. She’d faced far worse, and these petty rumors couldn’t hurt
Mia turned to see Lucy, who was feigning shock as she looked at her.“The forum says Sarah only has a high school diploma and used underhanded methods to get hired as our counselor. She’s less educated than any of us, and it’s embarrassing to be associated with someone like her!” Lucy shot Sarah a disdainful look, her face full of arrogance.Mia, fuming, was about to confront Lucy, but Sarah calmly stood up, placing herself between them. She faced Lucy with a steady gaze and asked evenly, “Was it you who started the forum post?”Lucy didn’t flinch, even with her actions called out in front of everyone. Instead, she looked even more pleased with herself. “And what if it was? Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”She didn’t care that Mia knew she was behind it. Sarah hadn’t finished college, so calling her a high school graduate wasn’t a lie. What was there to be afraid of?Mia’s eyes were cold as she looked at her. “That post is getting a lot of attention. You might not realize tha
The girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and she looked thrilled beyond words.Sarah couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, that’s me. I never expected the professors would wait for my return."As her words sank in, the crowd erupted in amazement, especially the psychology students. Everyone in the department knew about the legendary senior student - not just academically brilliant, but clinically gifted beyond precedent. A once-in-a-generation talent. When she’d been forced to leave just before graduation, declaring she wouldn’t be returning, all the professors, even the dean, had come together to grant her an indefinite academic leave, hoping she’d someday come back.It was something completely unprecedented.It was their way of saying how much they valued her.Remembering those days, Sarah’s eyes softened with warmth.The students around her were buzzing with excitement.“So it’s really her? I can’t believe it! I even had the chance to read one of her papers—it’s a masterpiece!”
Sensing her emotions, Professor Carter gently patted her shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, Sarah. That’s what matters.”Sarah looked up, meeting his warm, encouraging gaze. Her nose tingled slightly as she held back a surge of emotion.Turning to the crowd of eager students and a visibly stunned Lucy, Professor Carter continued with a smile, “Yes, Sarah was indeed one of my students. The psychology department granted her indefinite academic leave because we didn’t want to lose such a talent. During her time here, Sarah not only completed her coursework in record time, but also worked with the police, mental health facilities, and counseling centers, contributing immensely to the field. She’s only one step away from graduating. So yes, she’s more than qualified to be a counsellor here.”His voice radiated pride and respect for Sarah.The students’ faces lit up with newfound admiration for Sarah.But then, Professor Carter’s expression turned stern as he addressed Lucy. “I’ve h
Sarah bit her lip, about to politely decline, when she saw Mia waving enthusiastically at someone in the distance. “Zac!”Sarah looked up to see Zachary stepping out of his car. His tailored suit gave his usual understated presence an extra edge, though his eyes remained mysteriously enchanting and unreadable.Sarah felt a slight shiver as she walked toward him under that intense gaze.“Mr. Reynolds, what a coincidence,” she greeted.Zachary looked at her, his lips curving into a slight smile. “Not a coincidence.”Meanwhile…Meanwhile, Lucy stormed out of the administrative office, clutching her disciplinary notice and furiously scrolling through the appreciation posts about Sarah. Her anger boiled over.So Sarah really was that legendary senior student!And she'd never mentioned it to any of them!The fact that Sarah had hidden such a huge secret from the Chancer family all these years only convinced Lucy that it had been deliberate.Ever since divorcing James, that woman ha
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
This single subtle gesture revealed her inner feelings. Without needing to look further, Sarah immediately understood. Through the monitor, she could see that the photograph was a selfie of a man.Beyond heartbreak, she couldn't think of any other explanation.The emotion release room had been open for nearly a week. During this time, she had observed many clients. Those who came to release their emotions fell into several categories: heartbreak, work conflicts, friendship issues, personal disputes, or being stuck at a crossroads in life, unable to make the right choice.They came here to vent their emotions, and often only after destroying everything could they finally see what they truly wanted in their hearts.This was Sarah's original purpose in creating the emotion release room. But more importantly, this wasn't just a simple place to vent emotions—it offered clients more valuable services, such as guidance from top psychological counselors to help them quickly resolve their tr
"Enough. I've heard too many words like these. It's all for my own good, it's all to protect me—using these noble-sounding excuses to make me believe him, to understand him. Well then, why don't you who want me to believe him try to convince him to believe in me? Are you all underestimating me, or overestimating Vivian? I don't want to hear this kind of talk anymore. Everything he suffered today was his own choice."In this moment, Sarah's coldness fully erupted. She was no longer indifferent or dismissive, because she simply couldn't ignore the pain in her heart.Mia hadn't expected Sarah to say such things today. She held Sarah's hand sympathetically. "Sarah, I'm sorry. It's because I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have said those things that upset you."When emotions reach their breaking point, they tend to explode, but often calm down shortly after the outburst.Sarah had regained her composure. She shook her head with a bitter smile. "This isn't your fault. Since the doctor is he