The display cases on the top floor were far superior to those downstairs. Each antique required careful preservation - these were true treasures that could be damaged by the slightest mishandling. Unlike the items below, this floor housed genuine antiques, with glass cases labeled with each piece's name and history.Sarah and Zachary spent considerable time browsing the top floor before finally purchasing an antique.Once outside, Sarah studied him with surprise. "Why are you helping us?”"I'm not just helping the Sanders family - I'm helping myself," Zachary replied, his eyes dark and intense.Sarah didn't press further, assuming it was about business interests.Though the Wilson and Reynolds families were old friends, Zachary naturally wanted to prevent the Wilsons from surpassing his family's influence.After dropping Sarah home, Zachary returned to his own house.Steven had been distracted all day at St. Ritz, his thoughts consumed by images of Scarlett.Though he couldn't
Memories crashed over her like a violent storm, forcing her to relive moments she'd rather forget, playing out vividly before her eyes."Scarlett, don't go," Steven pleaded, his head pounding.His friend turned to Scarlett. "Miss Larson, we'll leave him with you."Before she could protest, they vanished into the night. Scarlett stared in disbelief. "Hey, you can't just..."As she tried to leave, Steven wrapped his arm around hers. She tensed up and pushed him away. "What... what are you doing?""You take advantage of me and then try to run? Just walk away after getting what you wanted?" Steven gripped her arm tightly."Who took advantage of whom?" Scarlett wanted to shove him to the ground. If anyone was a victim here, it was her!Steven clung to her arm, refusing to let go.Scarlett glanced around anxiously - they were right outside her home. If her parents saw this, it would be a disaster."What do you want? Let me go!"Scarlett twisted away from Steven's grasp and hurried
Zachary leaned back against the sofa, raising his wine glass for another sip. The moonlight cast a pale glow on his face, making him look like a lifeless Greek statue.Finally, at two in the morning, their drinking session came to an end.Zachary helped Steven to the guest room and laid him down, but then heard him mumbling something. "What did you say?"He leaned in closer to make out what Steven was muttering."Scarlett... how could you be so irresponsible..."Zachary's lips curved into a slight smile - so Scarlett was the cause of his heartache.He took out his phone and recorded Steven's mumbling.In two days, Mr. Anderson of Meridian Group would celebrate his birthday. To give back to society, he had decided to host his birthday celebration as a charity auction. Attendees needed to contribute one of their collectibles for auction, with all proceeds going directly to charity.Without doubt, this grand auction would be East Coast's most talked-about event, especially since t
Sarah noticed the sadness in her eyes and suddenly grabbed Scarlett's hand. "Let's try something," she said seriously."Try what?"Her voice was soft and convincing. "Let's see if he likes you.""What?"Sarah took out her phone and played the recording for her. "When he was drunk, he kept saying your name. Zachary sent this to me. Why not give it a chance? If you feel even a little something for him."A faint blush appeared on Scarlett's face. "Alright, let's try."That evening, Sarah called Steven. "Steven, I'd like to bring some friends to St. Ritz for dinner tonight. Are you available?"After all, this show couldn't go on without its main character.At seven-thirty, Sarah arrived at St. Ritz with Scarlett. Steven froze when he saw Scarlett - he hadn't expected her to be one of Sarah's friends.Just as he placed the menus on Sarah's table, he saw Scarlett waving excitedly toward the entrance."Over here!" Sarah smiled knowingly and explained, "This is Scarlett's boyfriend."
"Stop!" Scarlett noticed something was wrong.She dipped her spoon in the soup and tasted it."It's so salty!" She quickly gulped down some water.Angrily throwing down her spoon, she said, "Sarah, Steven's gone too far."Sarah couldn't help but smile. "Don't drink any more."The rest of the dinner proceeded normally, with Steven maintaining a polite, professional smile. On the way home, Scarlett's eyes reflected unmistakable disappointment."See? I told you he doesn't like me."Sarah consoled her, "Don't rush to conclusions. Maybe he hasn't processed it yet, or it was too much for him to handle."Scarlett went home distracted. After getting ready for bed, she lay there for a long time, thinking about what had happened at the bar that night.Checking her phone, it was already eleven. Just as she closed her eyes to sleep, her phone rang.The name on the screen nearly made her drop her phone - it was Steven.She rushed to answer but accidentally hung up in her nervousness. Her
Scarlett lowered her eyes, unable to look at him. "Let's just pretend nothing happened between us. It was all a misunderstanding..."Steven laughed coldly. "A misunderstanding? You call that a misunderstanding? You're really making me angry now."Scarlett cringed internally - was he acting out some cheesy romance drama?"You're overacting.""Break up with him immediately," Steven said coldly. "I remember everything from that night perfectly. You need to take responsibility!"Scarlett stared at Steven's face, slightly dazed. She asked calmly but firmly, "So why are you really here? Just to tell me to break up?""..." Perhaps it was her determined gaze, but Steven found himself at a loss for words.Of course, he hadn't come just to tell Scarlett to break up - he wanted to suggest they give things a try.But why couldn't he muster the courage to say so? Scarlett pressed on, "Or do you want to be with me? Do you actually like me? Or are you just here playing the responsible guy b
Charlotte entered the ballroom on James's arm, wearing a pink tulle gown that screamed haute couture.She deliberately rested her hand on her stomach, stroking it subtly while giving Sarah a challenging look."Ms. Sanders, it's been a while." Her smile was gentle, as if they were merely friends and nothing had happened between them.Sarah gave her a brief glance without responding and took her seat beside Melvin.Their table was right in the center. Though the Sanders family wasn't quite as prominent as the Reynolds, they still held significantly more influence than Chancers.Suddenly, there was a commotion at the entrance as reporters rushed forward to greet the new arrivals.Sarah looked over to see Zachary and Vivian walking in.With all the recent rumors about these two, naturally the reporters wouldn't miss this chance for a story.Zachary and Vivian were also seated at the main table, directly across from Sarah and Melvin."Miss Sanders, lovely to see you," Vivian smiled
The piece finally sold for nine hundred thousand, leaving James with clenched fists.Mr. Anderson's lack of interest meant their plan for the birthday celebration had failed.He didn't bid on the next few items either, watching silently as others claimed them.Then came Vivian's contribution. The attendants brought up a long case containing a painting. Uniquely, it was a portrait of a religious figure - but with a striking twist: the face bore a clear resemblance to Mr. Anderson. When the image appeared on the large screen, Mr. Anderson's fingers twitched, unconsciously tapping the table.Vivian smiled, knowing this wasn't just any religious portrait. She was sure Mr. Anderson had noticed its significance immediately.Sarah watched the painting with grave concern. Vivian had been too bold - creating a religious portrait with Mr. Anderson's likeness.Inevitably, no one else would bid on it. Everyone could see this was Vivian's special tribute to Mr. Anderson. No one wanted to cr
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