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,
"How dare you speak to me like that!" Mrs. Chancer pointed her finger at Sarah's face. "Have you lost your mind?"Sarah gave her a dismissive glance before turning to address the administrators:"I apologize that my personal matters have disrupted your day. I've seen the forum post, but isn't it absurd to condemn someone based on one heavily edited photo?"Sarah spoke with quiet dignity.The Dean and other administrators exchanged uncomfortable glances. They knew the photo proved nothing, but Mrs. Chancer's influence was hard to ignore.Mrs. Chancer sneered at Sarah. "Would I be here without solid evidence?"She pulled out a USB drive, gesturing for the assistant to connect it to the projector. "Let's see how arrogant you'll be after this!"As the projector warmed up, the footage appeared on screen.It was surveillance video, blurry except for Sarah's unusually clear figure. The timestamp showed last year.The footage showed Sarah entering a hotel with a man.Sarah almost lau
When Mrs. Chancer recognized who had arrived, she couldn’t help but feeling nervous. Zachary Reynolds was the East Coast's most powerful heir - not someone the Chancers could afford to offend.She discreetly glanced at the blurry surveillance video, reassuring herself that the man in it was unidentifiable.Perhaps Lucy was right - someone of his status would only be playing with someone like Sarah. How could such a distinguished man seriously consider a divorced woman?This thought calmed her. Her Lucy was well-bred and highly educated, far superior to Sarah. Given the chance, Lucy could definitely secure someone as prestigious as Zachary.Right now, her task was to completely discredit Sarah. Not only did she need to confirm the allegations of infidelity during marriage, but she also had to make Mr. Reynolds distance himself from Sarah. With so many people present and men being concerned about their reputation, Mr. Reynolds was unlikely to step forward to defend Sarah."Sarah pra
"Indeed. If Mr. Reynolds hadn't arrived in time, I would have become the adulteress in Mrs. Chancer's story. These days, it seems slander is effortless, all it takes is a loose tongue.”Sarah cast a cool glance at Mrs. Chancer. This mother and daughter pair seemed to have nothing better to do than take turns trying to destroy her reputation, stopping at nothing to spread rumors.Their relentless efforts were certainly eye-opening.Zachary moved closer, his tall frame beside Sarah. The subtle cedar wood scent of his cologne helped calm her nerves.His deep, resonant voice continued: "If I remember correctly, it was your son's lover who returned, after which he asked Sarah for a divorce. Our Sarah, being kindhearted, agreed to step aside so he could be with his old flame."Sarah glanced at him in surprise before composing herself. Given Zachary's position, getting such information would be simple. He must have investigated her background when seeking her help with Mia's treatment.
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
They both looked at Zachary. Sarah frowned slightly and asked uncertainly, "Are you sure the two of us can lift him?"Mia paused for a moment, then pressed the drain button. In less than five minutes, all the cold water had drained from the tub.Zachary had a towel wrapped around his lower half, but it could easily fall off. Sarah first found a bathrobe in the closet, and together with Mia, they struggled to put it on him."Zachary, wake up!"Sarah didn't smell any alcohol on Zachary, so she determined he probably hadn't been drinking, but for some reason had passed out.She used all her strength to pull on Zachary's arm, trying to lift him up.Ten minutes later, when Steven arrived, Zachary was still in the bathtub."Miss Sanders, Miss Reynolds, let me handle this." He walked in with a man in a suit and lifted Zachary to the bed without much effort.He said to the suited man, "Doctor, please examine him."Only then did Sarah realize that Steven had brought a doctor. They waite
Sarah couldn't say much, since she hadn't seen either the truth or the evidence herself.But seeing how hurt Mia looked, she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and said gently, "Though I don't know exactly what happened or what truth and evidence you're talking about, you should trust your brother. When we were in West Ridge, his reaction after learning the truth wasn't much better than yours. His eyes were filled with shock."She paused before continuing, "Now that you know the truth, you both clearly understand what you need to do. Isn't it better to see things clearly rather than remain in the dark?"At least they wouldn't need to keep guessing or lie awake night after night.Mia nodded gravely, then asked with confusion, "Sarah, my brother hasn't told you about it?"Sarah smiled faintly and shook her head. "If he wanted me to know, he would tell me himself.""Sarah, whatever decision my brother makes, I believe he would never hurt you. Just like you told me, we can trust h