As they walked, Mr. Lambert briefed her about the factory. "Miss Sanders, the place has changed considerably over the years. Headquarters sent inspectors a few years ago, but no one has visited in the last three years. They haven't forgotten about us, have they?"Sarah smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mr. Lambert. Sanders Group would never abandon any employee or facility. I'm here specifically to resolve these issues."Mr. Lambert nodded, though Sarah noticed his expression growing increasingly troubled as they approached the factory. Just before entering, he warned her, "The situation inside isn't good. I've worked here for decades and have some authority, but lately there've been all sorts of problems. Some workers are on strike, and even the manager is at his wit's end."Once inside, Sarah finally understood what Mr. Lambert meant.The factory manager greeted them with a group of workers holding protest signs. "You must be from headquarters. I hear you're Mr. Sanders' sister.
Sarah stared at him coldly. "Get out!""Don't be ungrateful. Look at your situation," Charlie said with annoyance.Sarah took out her phone from her purse. "Before coming to West Ridge, I made an arrangement with my cousin. If I don't call him by nine o'clock, he'll immediately alert the police and bring people here. It's almost time - are you sure you want to stay?"Charlie glared at her angrily. "Fine! But remember, this is my house!" After he left, Sarah collapsed on the bed with relief.The next day after work, Sarah discovered how Charlie planned to retaliate. When she returned to the Wesler house, she found all her belongings moved to another room - a dilapidated one that looked uninhabited for decades.The entire Wesler family had silently approved of Charlie's actions.The old room had weathered badly over the years. Deep cracks ran through the walls, with loose soil occasionally falling from them.This cramped, rundown space was clearly Charlie's doing.The room was
Sarah carefully closed the window, making sure to secure the latch. Her expression grew serious – there would be no escaping this storm.The rain finally began to fall. The yellowed light bulb in the room provided her with a small sense of warmth and security.The patter of rain drummed steadily against the roof, striking the tiles heavily. Silence enveloped everything except for the dancing raindrops.Though Sarah's room was dilapidated, at least it had tile roofing. In West Ridge, while most homes used tile roofs, some poorer residents had earthen shelters – structures made of packed soil and straw that would likely dissolve into mud after a heavy rain.Lightning flashed and thunder rolled as the downpour intensified. Water collected along the eaves, forming thick droplets that fell continuously.Brilliant flashes illuminated the entire landscape as the rain grew heavier.BOOM!A massive thunderclap made Sarah's heart jump. Despite being prepared, fear still gripped her.The
From the moment Sarah woke, she knew something was wrong. Her head throbbed with splitting pain.She felt her forehead - no fever, but she'd clearly caught a chill from the previous night.Struggling to sit up, she took some clothes from her suitcase. Thanks to the protection of the case, most weren't damp, though the outermost garments smelled of mildew.Sarah found several thick pieces and layered them on herself, finally feeling a bit better."Achoo!" She couldn't help sneezing.Both nostrils felt congested - classic cold symptoms.Her previous cold from being kidnapped and caught in the rain hadn't fully healed, and now seemed to be worsening.Her legs felt weak and unsteady, as if walking through an ice cellar. Not only her legs, but her abdomen had begun to ache too. Despite wearing many layers, none were truly warm.The icy cold seeped through her feet into her body. Sarah felt as if her legs had plunged into endless ice.The waves of pain from her abdomen told her this
"Worthless deadbeat, you dare gamble without money?""Pay back the tens of thousands you owe us, or we'll take your life!"Despite being beaten bloody, the man lying on the ground still begged pitifully, "Please stop! Lend me just a thousand more! Just one thousand! I'll win it all back, I promise, and pay you immediately!"The suited man looked away and approached the table, the thick smoke making him uncomfortable.The manager smirked and made several hand signals behind his back. His men immediately understood and moved closer.They exchanged glances. They had expected to fleece him badly, but to their surprise, he'd won fifteen consecutive rounds, totaling fifty thousand!The man, seemingly satisfied with his winnings, prepared to leave.The manager wasn't about to let him walk away so easily. He approached. "Leaving after winning so much? That's rather impolite, isn't it?""What do you want?" the man asked expressionlessly.The manager raised an eyebrow. "Play a few more
Melvin finally calmed down. "How's the situation now?" he asked gravely.Sarah's tone grew serious too. “The factory situation is complicated. Even Manager Sullivan…”She paused, then asked, “Melvin, is Mr. Lambert trustworthy?”Melvin thought for a moment. "In the current factory situation, even I don't know who's trustworthy anymore. Mr. Lambert has been with your father for twenty years. Since your father's passing, he's maintained contact with Sanders Group, though not as closely as before.""What about Manager Sullivan?”“He’s…”Sarah glanced toward the doorway and froze. A man in a suit was helping a bloodied man walk by.She couldn't mistake that face. Why was Zachary here? And who was the injured man he was supporting?"Sasa? Hello, are you listening?" Melvin's concerned voice came through the phone.Sarah snapped back to reality. “Melvin, something's come up. I'll call you back."She pulled out her IV, put on her shoes, and quietly followed the two figures.In the p
Though angry when they met at West Ridge, Charlie was still thinking about Zachary's money. He wanted to take the medicine and catch up, but the pharmacist haven’t called out his name yet.In the hospital corridor, Sarah hurried away, desperate to avoid Zachary.But why was Zachary with Charlie? That guy was always hanging out in gambling dens.Why was Zachary even in West Ridge? When Charlie had called her name earlier, Sarah had jumped. There were no footsteps behind her now, so she leaned against the wall, catching her breath. She held her chest, her heart pounding."What's wrong?" Zachary asked.Sarah's pupils dilated in shock. He had caught up to her. She couldn’t look at him. "I’m fine," she said softly."Sasa, you’re pale. You should lie back down on your bed," he insisted.Sarah took a few steps to the side. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Reynolds. I’ll head back now.""Sasa, I…" His words trailed off, but Sarah was already walking away.After her fever broke and
Sarah's eyes narrowed as she pieced it together. The roof - Charlie must have tampered with it. He was the one who hated her most.Rainwater flooded the bed, the hole now larger than yesterday. Sarah clutched her abdomen as the pain intensified.The blanket was soaked through, and the rain pounded harder by the minute.The damp air worsened her condition. She stared ahead, her vision slowly blurring.Why did it hurt so much?A bone-chilling cold spread through Sarah's entire body. She flashed back to being drenched in the mountains, coughing uncontrollably.What was happening to her?Sarah couldn't make sense of it. It was as if she'd been transported back to that night - the piercing cold rain and those malicious eyes watching her suffer.Her thoughts snapped back to the present. The water was rising around her; she could almost see herself submerged in it.The pain in her abdomen persisted as her mind drifted between past and present, both equally brutal in their coldness.
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