Vivian curled up in agony, her body trembling. Mr. Wilson quickly entered the room, his expression stern as he tried to assess what had happened. Anne followed close behind. She had been caring for Vivian since she was a child and regarded her almost like a daughter. "Miss, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" she asked worriedly. Vivian’s face was pale with terror. Mr. Wilson frowned deeply, observing her reaction. Seeing him, Vivian forced herself to regain some composure.No matter what, Grandpa can’t know about this. "I’m fine, Grandpa. Just a bad dream," she muttered, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. Mr. Wilson eyed her suspiciously but didn’t press further. Later that night, the Wilson household settled into deep slumber. Vivian, finally exhausted, drifted off into a heavy sleep. She had chosen to sleep near the window, and at some point, she rolled over. Tap. Tap. Tap. A faint knocking came from the glass. Even in deep sleep, h
Vivian had no idea how long she had been asleep when she was jolted awake again by the faint tapping at her window. A chill crawled over her skin. The sound was the same as before, and this time, she didn’t even dare to open the curtains. But the tapping grew louder and more insistent, making her chest tighten with unease. Then—suddenly—silence. She held her breath, waiting. Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Eventually, she convinced herself it was over and forced herself to sleep. But half an hour later, just as she was slipping into unconsciousness, the noise returned. This time, the tapping was sharper, more erratic, yet eerily rhythmic. Vivian clutched her blanket tightly and immediately covered her ears. "Go away!" she whimpered. "Tina, it wasn’t me! I gave your mother plenty of money—don’t come after me! If anything happens to me, my grandfather will make sure your whole family suffers!" But the sound didn’t stop. The grating, high-pitched scra
Mr. Wilson pulled something from behind him and tossed it at her feet. "You mean this shadow you saw? Was it this?" Vivian stared in disbelief. "This…?" "From the moment you had your first nightmare, I had people watching the villa’s surroundings. Tonight, the so-called ghost you saw? It was just a piece of white cloth. "The person behind it got away, but they left this behind." His eyes were ice-cold. Then he scoffed. "Idiot. You’ve been played and didn’t even realize it. Do you actually believe in ghosts? You’ve thrown away every bit of education you’ve ever received." The tight grip of fear in Vivian’s chest suddenly loosened. She let out a breathless chuckle, which quickly turned into anger. "Who?! Who would dare mess with me like this?!" Mr. Wilson leaned back, watching her. "Find out for yourself. I’ll give you full authority to investigate, but don’t let it interfere with our plans. You’ve already slowed us down enough these past few days."
Mr. Wilson chuckled. "If we can’t finish the bottle, take the rest home for your grandfather." Vivian laughed. "Grandpa, what are you saying? Do you really think Grandpa William would drink someone else’s leftover wine?" "True, true. My mistake," Mr. Wilson admitted with a good-natured smile. "Then how about this—before you leave, pick out a bottle from my collection and take it back for him. That way, he won’t have anything to complain about behind my back." The meal had yet to begin, but the atmosphere at the dining table was warm and harmonious. Anne was busy serving dishes, while Zachary quietly observed the exchange between Vivian and Mr. Wilson. It was just a simple family dinner, so why go to such extravagant lengths? The Romanée-Conti on the table was no ordinary wine. Though its auction price had been around three million yuan, it was truly priceless—aged for years, often purchased as an investment rather than for consumption. So why had Mr. Wilson brought
The police had even found this woman’s fingerprints on the rooftop. And at the chocolate boutique, purchase records confirmed her order history. It was all too perfect. If Sarah hadn’t seen Vivian with her own eyes, hadn’t heard her cold confession that day—perhaps she, too, would have believed it. Mrs. Mendes let out a bitter laugh, her expression vacant. "I told you before—no one can fight against capital. People like us could struggle for a lifetime and still never reach their heights. For them, crushing us is as easy as stepping on an ant. "Even when the evidence is laid bare, they’ll always have someone ready to take the fall." Her voice was hoarse, empty. Perhaps, before, her reluctance to speak had been instinctive self-preservation. But now, when she had finally found the courage to seek justice—she realized how naive she had been. Sarah shook her head, her voice quiet but firm. "It’s because they are rotten to the core—so cruel they can erase a
Melvin shook his head. "It’s useless. The top wineries produce limited quantities of wine each year, and they’ve already been snatched up by suppliers. The contracts are signed before the bottles even leave the vineyards." The global wine market was massive, but true premium wine had always been in short supply. Beyond vintage limitations, quality was another key factor. "So what can we do?" Sarah asked. "There’s one last opportunity. In two days, St. Ritz Hotel is hosting a wine-tasting gala. It’ll bring together winery owners from all over. This is our chance," Melvin said seriously. Sarah nodded in understanding. The gala wasn’t just a major event for East Coast—top sommeliers and vineyard representatives from all over the country would attend. Among them would be powerful figures who weren’t afraid of the Wilsons. This was Sanders Group’s only shot. Otherwise, they’d have to abandon this sector entirely. St. Ritz Hotel, 7pm.The entrance road to hotel was line
Sarah’s arrival stirred a small wave of excitement throughout the banquet hall. "Oh my god, how does she still have the audacity to show up here? After everything that happened, she actually dares to come? Absolutely shameless!" "Exactly! That student jumped because of her! Even though people are trying to clear her name, who knows what really went on behind the scenes?" “Mr. Reynolds and Miss Wilson are practically engaged. Do you think she’s here just to cause trouble?" "Cause trouble? Please. What could she even do?" "I heard the Sanders are in trouble. They lost their wine suppliers, and she’s here to fight for a deal." As whispers and judgmental glances swept through the crowd, Sarah remained composed, unaffected by the scrutiny. Melvin, however, squared his shoulders, his cold gaze sweeping across those who dared to stare too long. He shielded her from much of the hostility, though he knew she didn’t care about their opinions. After a brief exchange, Melvi
"Oh, don’t get me wrong," the woman sneered. "I just wanted to see what kind of thick-skinned person would still dare to show up here. You caused the death of a student, you’re literally her murderer. What, did you come here hoping to win back Mr. Reynolds?" She clicked her tongue twice in mock pity. "Such a shame. You should take a good look. Mr. Reynolds isn’t into women like you. Open your eyes and see who’s standing beside him. That’s the perfect woman, his childhood sweetheart, the one he truly loves. You’re delusional if you think you have a chance. A murderer like you will always be despised. If I were you, I’d leave now before making a fool of myself." "Exactly! You should just get out of here before you make yourself sick watching Miss Wilson and Mr. Reynolds together." Sarah set her wine glass down with a soft thud, the sound heavy against the table. "That’s why you’re not me." Her gaze turned icy as she looked at the woman. "Judging from your tone, I can al
He never imagined Vivian would dare do such a thing. Drugging someone's drink was despicable behavior. He never thought the normally proud Vivian would stoop to this level.He weakly held onto the car door, took a deep breath, and dug his right hand hard into his thigh. The intense pain brought him a moment of clarity.But this brief lucidity only allowed him to make the most rational decision. He could clearly feel the burning heat throughout his body, as if thousands of ants were crawling all over him.When they finally reached Void Bay, the driver looked at Zachary's condition with concern. "Mr. Reynolds, should I take you to the hospital instead?"Zachary refused with a cold stare. "Not necessary."He knew with certainty that if he appeared at a hospital tonight, tomorrow's trending news would definitely be about his hospital visit. At this stage, he couldn't afford to openly start fire with Vivian.He looked weakly at the driver. "Help me inside."If he couldn't stay calm no
She raised her glass. "Grandfather, I toast you."With that, she drank it all in one go.Her drink and Zachary's had been poured together from the same bottle.Zachary's eyes flickered briefly. It would be impolite to refuse any longer.He picked up his glass and poured the cold liquid down his throat.After several glasses, Zachary felt something wasn't right.He shook his dizzy head, feeling like everything around him was spinning.Vivian's concerned voice reached his ears, though it sounded muffled and unclear.She shook his hand and asked softly, "Zachary, are you alright?"Zachary couldn't speak and could only weakly wave his hand.Old Mr. Wilson, figuring the time was about right, yawned sleepily and announced cheerfully, "That's enough drinking for tonight. You two should stay here instead of going back."Vivian's voice emerged again. "Good idea. Zachary is already drunk. It's your fault, making him drink so much. He'll definitely have a headache tomorrow."Their conv
The words sounded critical, but they actually served a dual purpose, covering all bases.On one hand, they expressed how much the Wilson family valued Vivian, while on the other hand, they reminded Zachary of the purpose behind their arranged marriage—the mutual development of both families.Zachary smiled and humbly replied, "You're exaggerating, and besides, Vivian is quite accomplished herself."He had smoothly returned the conversational "ball" that had been tossed to him.Old Mr. Wilson's practiced smile stiffened slightly before quickly returning to normal as he invited Zachary to take a seat.Zachary sat at the first position on the right, with Vivian sitting beside him.With just a clap of his hands, Old Mr. Wilson summoned servants who walked slowly from the kitchen carrying dishes that delighted all the senses.Seeing this, Vivian leaned closer to Zachary and whispered, "Grandfather knew you were coming and specially instructed the chef to prepare your favourite dishes.
Anything that had passed through his hands had virtually no evidence that shouldn't exist.He was convinced that even if Zachary turned the world upside down, he wouldn't find anything significant."Grandfather, what should I do?" Vivian couldn't stand being ignored by Zachary. It was driving her crazy.Old Mr. Wilson glared at her impatiently. "What a waste of the Wilson family's investment in you. You can't even keep a man?"Finally, too angry to hold back, he threw out a heavy remark, "Completely useless."Old Mr. Wilson turned and walked toward the house. After a few steps, he realized Vivian was still standing in place and stopped to scold her, "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come with me."Vivian quickly agreed, and they went one after another to the antique-styled study.After discussing for about two hours, Vivian emerged from the study with a grave expression.She gently closed the door, her mind in complete disarray.Her grandfather's words kept echoing in
She racked her brain trying to figure out where she'd gone wrong to end up in this situation.Before she could think of a solution, the company faced a thorny problem. Her assistant contacted her immediately."Miss Wilson, our shipment at the dock has been detained. By the time I received the news, it had already been held for three days. If we delay any longer, we'll lose a major deal," her assistant said urgently.Vivian had received an excellent education and was being groomed as the Wilson Group's successor, so she naturally wouldn't lose her composure.She calmly asked, "Have you looked into why the shipment was detained?"The assistant hesitated, "I heard that your fiancé, Mr. Reynolds, personally reported that shipment.""That's impossible!" Vivian's voice rose in pitch, her face filled with disbelief."Did you investigate thoroughly? If this turns out to be false, I won't let you off easily and will sue you for defamation." Vivian couldn't keep her cool, speaking with a h
In the office, Vivian looked with interest at the news on her phone about Harbour Crescent Island and Pine Mist Island. Everything was going exactly as she had expected.Except for one thing. When she first got the original project plan, she had been wondering about a small building near the main hotel. She couldn't figure out what it was for.Only after Pine Mist Island's promotional materials came out did she fully understand the purpose of that small building. In modern society, the exhausting work and complicated relationships of urban life caused people to develop various psychological issues. Many of these weren't even serious enough to be called disorders—they were just negative emotions bottled up inside that needed an outlet.In recent years, people had placed more emphasis on mental health education, with schools conducting various assessment activities.Many emotional release rooms had appeared in East Coast, but Sarah had only visited two or three, and their release meth
Before Zachary could react, tears streamed down Mia's face. "Brother, tell me, is everything I read true? The Wilson factory explosion, the fake medicine, the murders to silence people! How did Mom really die?"For the first time, Zachary looked at Mia helplessly. Since she was very young, he had always protected her well, making her feel like she lived in a fairy tale. But even the most innocent person must eventually face harsh reality.This time, he sighed and said, "It's exactly as you saw."Mia couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened, her nose reddened, as she looked at him in confusion. "It was the Wilson family? Grandpa Wilson was involved?"After saying this, endless hatred erupted in Mia's eyes. Her crimson gaze seemed to drip blood. "I'll kill him!"She turned to leave, but Zachary immediately lunged forward and grabbed her. "Mia! You can't go!"Mia's strength reached its peak in that moment. She desperately tried to break free from Zachary's grip. "Let me go! Why are you
Mia explained somewhat bashfully, "Sarah, ever since you and my brother broke up, I've never seen him smile again. Every night when I go downstairs for water, I see him standing on the balcony looking miserable. I always ask what's wrong, but he never tells me. Until one day when he came home drunk, muttering your name."She paused before continuing, "Sarah, I know you were disappointed when my brother got engaged to Vivian. I still don't know why that happened. From what I can tell, you're the only one he's ever loved. I know you're both hurting, so I came up with this idea to create a chance for you to be alone together. But I never thought things would turn out like this. I'm sorry, Sarah. This isn't my brother's fault—please don't blame him."Sarah thought for a moment before saying, "Mia, can you help me with something?"Mia nodded eagerly. "What do you want me to do, Sarah?"Sarah motioned her closer and whispered something in her ear. After listening, Mia nodded solemnly.In
Seeing him helped Sarah gradually calm down. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was, but quickly remembered the photo in the study, accompanied by another headache."Zachary, what's the story with that photo in your study?" Sarah rubbed her head while staring intently at the man whose face briefly showed panic. She wouldn't give him any chance to back away."What are you talking about? What photo?" Zachary reached for a teacup. "Are you thirsty? You just woke up—have some water to soothe your throat."Sarah frowned, looking straight at Zachary. "I'm not thirsty. Don't change the subject! What's the deal with that photo?"Right—the photo.Just then, Mia timidly approached, wringing her hands nervously."Mia, how are you feeling?" Sarah asked with concern, shifting her attention.Mia said guiltily, "Sarah, I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have tricked you."When Sarah showed concern for her despite just waking up, Mia's guilt peaked. She hadn't expected Sa