Lindsey gazed at Lucy with admiration, laying on the flattery. "Oh my god, Lucy, your brother's so sweet! I heard CEOs are super busy, yet he makes time to pick up his sister!"Lucy preened under the praise, smirking proudly. "Well, of course. My brother totally dotes on me. I'm his favorite.""God, Lucy, I'm so jealous! You've got the looks, the family background, and such an amazing brother... I've never even been in a Maserati!" Lindsey gushed, secretly hoping Lucy would offer her a ride. She could already imagine the Instagram photos making her high school friends green with envy.As expected, Lucy scoffed dismissively. "Look at you, acting like you've never seen luxury before. Fine, I'll have my brother give you a ride too!"With that, Lucy strode toward James.“James, what brings you here today?" she called out in an artificially sweet voice, basking in the attention from passing students. Sure, she'd always had a private driver, but James had forced her to keep things low-k
James's eyes darkened, his lip twitching involuntarily.The woman in front of him had changed so much that she now dared to speak to him in such a tone.Seeing his silence, Sarah had no interest in prolonging this encounter and turned to leave.But before she could step away, a strong hand gripped her wrist.James had run out of patience. He yanked her back roughly, leaving visible marks on her skin."Ouch—"Sarah clutched her aching wrist, glaring up at him."James Chancer, what do the hell you want? You—""We need to talk."He cut her off coldly, his eyes unconsciously fixing on her reddening wrist, stirring unexpected emotions.Sarah let out a harsh laugh. "Sorry, not interested. There's nothing to discuss."Her dismissal caught James off guard, igniting his anger."Sarah, I tried to keep things civil. I gave you money and property out of guilt, but that was before I knew you were involved with another man. Is that why you signed the divorce papers so eagerly? Was it bec
Though the trip home from Adams University wasn't far, Sarah felt unusually drained today.Back home, she couldn't even muster the energy to make dinner. Instead, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and curled up on the couch.She felt agitated.For reasons she couldn't quite explain.She knew with certainty that she no longer loved James – if anything, she despised him.But since the divorce, his constant appearances and attempts to challenge her boundaries left her feeling irritated, even nauseated.Nauseated that she'd once been blind enough to fall for such a man.The alcohol slid down her throat to her stomach, gradually numbing her frustration.Suddenly, her phone rang.She pressed answer.“Babe, come out! There's this amazing new bar that just opened on the East Coast!" Sarah thought for a moment before replying, "Send me the location."...Stepping out of the taxi, Sarah stood in the cool breeze, looking up at the bar's neon sign. She couldn't quite make out the Fr
Zachary looked up, and despite the crowded bar, his eyes immediately found Sarah's booth.Several men were closing in on her with obvious ill intent.A flicker of coldness passed through his otherwise composed expression....The commotion at Sarah's table had drawn attention, but no one dared intervene. These thugs were notorious in the area, and nobody wanted trouble.The leader leered at Sarah and Scarlett with a sleazy grin. "Ladies, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Ask around about Scarface's reputation. Stick with me, and you'll be living the good life!"As he spoke, Scarface reached out to touch Sarah's face.Sarah's eyes turned sharp as she seized his thick wrist in her delicate hand.Despite being over six feet tall, Scarface found himself immobilized by pain, his face contorting."You bit—agh! Ow, ow, ow!"He couldn't even finish his insult before howling in pain.Damn, what kind of woman had this strength?"Leave." Sarah didn't want to cause trouble at
The police handled the situation efficiently, and order was quickly restored to the bar.With plenty of witnesses and video evidence, Sarah and Scarlett only needed to give statements and compensate the bar owner for damages before being released.As they left the police station, they saw Steven's car waiting outside. He rolled down the window, waving at them. "Ladies, hop in!"Through the open window, Sarah caught a glimpse of Zachary's refined profile in the backseat. Before she could hesitate, Scarlett pulled her toward the car."Perfect timing! I was worried we wouldn't find a ride this late!"Scarlett dove into the front passenger seat, leaving Sarah to slide into the back.Opening the rear door, Sarah's eyes fell on Zachary's long legs, his expensive suit pants perfectly pressed without a single wrinkle. Her heartbeat quickened for no reason.Unlike their last car ride, upbeat music filled the car, with Scarlett bobbing her head to the rhythm in the front seat, creating a
She turned her head away, trying to escape his touch."Hold still," his deep voice commanded softly.Sarah tensed up, her voice awkward. "Mr. Reynolds, I can do it myself...""Almost done," Zachary continued, clearly not intending to stop as he focused on gathering her hair.Her hair was thick and heavy in his hands, silky black and smooth to touch. The sea breeze carried its fresh scent to him.From his angle, he could clearly see her elegant swan-like neck, its graceful lines strangely enticing.His eyes darkened slightly as he swallowed, quickly looking away after securing the final loop of the hair tie."Done.""Thank you," Sarah replied stiffly.Noticing her tension, Zachary teased unexpectedly, "What's wrong? Falling for me?"Sarah froze.The flutter in her heart just now had been real.But someone like Zachary was far out of her reach.First, she was divorced. Second, the Reynolds family's status and wealth far exceeded the Chancers. Their standards for a potential
Never mind that these photos were taken after her divorce from James - even if they weren't, all they showed was her getting into someone's car. Hardly damning evidence!Unlike last time, students weren't blindly joining in the criticism. While there were plenty of nasty comments, many students were defending her.Sarah scrolled through the comments section."Someone must have it out for Miss Sanders. Why do they keep trying to smear her on the forum? One ambiguous photo proves nothing.""Where there's smoke, there's fire. Why is she the only one getting these accusations?""Forget everything else - can't believe she's already divorced at her age!"...Meanwhile, in the Dean's office at Adams University:"Dean Larson, I've explained everything. Having Sarah as a daughter-in-law was already an embarrassment to the Chancer family. How dare Adams hire someone like her? Aren't you worried about the university's reputation?"Mrs. Chancer sat on the office sofa, sipping tea while im
Sarah collected herself before heading out.At the doorway, she ran into an agitated Mia rushing towards her."Sarah!" Mia's pretty face was flushed with anger. "Did you see the forum? I bet Lucy's behind this again!"She couldn't think of anyone else who'd target Sarah like this.Sarah smiled softly.This girl had really grown on her.She patted Mia's back reassuringly. "Don't worry, I can handle this. You should get to class."Mia was clearly still concerned but, seeing Sarah's confidence and knowing she had an important lecture, reluctantly agreed. "Okay, but promise you'll tell me right away if anything happens."Sarah waved her phone in response, gesturing for Mia to go.Mia kept looking back anxiously as she left.Sarah sighed fondly.Though Zachary had asked her to help with Mia's psychological issues, it felt more like Mia was the one healing her.The Dean's building wasn't far from the Psychology Department. Sarah reached the office in under five minutes."Knock,
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