"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.
News spread quickly across campus...The legendary Zachary Reynolds had appeared at Adams University, and apparently was friends with Miss Sanders. Word was he'd come specifically to defend her reputation.Students couldn’t help but speculate. If their relationship was merely that of casual friends, would someone as busy as Mr. Reynolds personally show up? Wouldn’t sending an assistant have been enough to handle it?Clearly, their relationship must be special. And seeing them walk together, they made a striking pair. Imagine how gorgeous their children would be!The slanderous forum posts were completely deleted, replaced by photos of Sarah and Zachary walking together, looking like something out of a romance novel.Comments had already started shipping them as a couple, though the subjects remained oblivious.Meanwhile in class, as news spread about Mrs. Chancer's false accusations, students began giving Lucy hostile looks."Can you believe it? Her son cheats, but they accuse t
Sarah snapped out of her thoughts when he spoke."No need for thanks. Just remember you owe me one,” he said causally.Sarah stopped walking, knowing that owing Zachary a favor wasn't simple, but she would definitely repay it.Sarah paused mid-step, realizing that a favor owed to someone like Zachary wouldn’t be easy to repay. Still, she nodded firmly. “Mr. Reynolds, don’t worry. I always repay my debts. I don’t know what I can do for you, but as long as you ask, I’ll give it my all.”Zachary's lips curved up, his eyes twinkling mischievously like a fox's, both charming and dangerous.Looking at his expression, Sarah felt a ripple of unease.She had a feeling she'd walked right into his trap.Unable to figure it out, she pushed the thought aside and walked him out. After such a huge favor, it would be rude to just leave him there.Back at the Chancer house, Lucy stormed in after school, throwing her things at the maid, her face sour as if she'd swallowed something bitter."Mom
”Mrs. Chancer, Lucy, what happened?" Charlotte asked. Though unsure of the details, she guessed it involved Sarah - only Sarah could upset them this much.Mrs. Chancer set down her jewelry, her face dark with anger, looking no different from a common market gossip.Charlotte raised an eyebrow but said nothing."It's all that wretched Sarah's fault. She made me lose face in front of everyone..." Mrs. Chancer recounted the day's events, seeing no fault in her own actions.Charlotte understood - they'd tried to scheme against Sarah but got publicly humiliated instead.Lucy quickly sat beside Charlotte, linking arms affectionately. “Charlotte, you're so much smarter than us. Can't you help us figure something out?"Mrs. Chancer glanced at her daughter, her mind still fixated on the property and money, growing more resentful by the minute."Charlotte, Sarah was married to James for three years without producing a child. After the divorce, James inexplicably gave her $8 million and se
What?Give it to Lucy?!Charlotte froze momentarily, internally cursing their shamelessness. But having already expressed her indifference to the money, she couldn't backtrack now. Though seething inside, she had to swallow her anger, only her slightly stiff smile hinting at her true feelings."Whatever Mrs. Chancer thinks is best." Charlotte maintained her composure, turning to Lucy with a smile. “Lucy, since you’re the one who interacts with Sarah the most at school, you probably have the best insight into how people perceive her. Perhaps you could focus on that angle. After all, university students haven’t experienced the real world yet and can be easily swayed. Maybe you can use that to shift their opinions.”She'd said enough - whether Lucy understood was her problem. Whatever happened afterward wouldn't be Charlotte's responsibility.After all, she'd merely made a suggestion, not told her to do anything extreme.Lucy's eyes lit up with understanding. “Charlotte, you're so cl
"Sarah, I've apologized - what more do you want? My mother really didn't mean to..." Lucy forced herself to follow, rambling on to convince Sarah of her sincerity.Sarah shot her a cold glance. “If you and your mother genuinely don’t want to cause me trouble or truly want to apologize, the best thing you can do is stay far, far away from me. The farther, the better.”Lucy was already angry, and this response nearly made her explode.She could only watch Sarah walk away, her eyes sharp with hatred. You ungrateful bitch, throwing my apology back in my face. Just wait and see!News of Lucy's apology quickly spread on the university forum, complete with photos, lending it credibility.As a result, Lucy's reputation at school gradually improved."Who knew the spoiled Lucy was capable of apologizing? Why blame her for her mother's mistake?""The fact that she can apologize shows character. She's our classmate after all - maybe we should be kinder.""As a socialite, she must have good
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