As Zachary approached slowly, Sarah wanted to escape, but unfortunately, she had the will but not the ability.The hillside was damp, making the dirt path slippery.She had no strength to resist as he lifted her up in his arms. "Put me down, Zachary! Let me go!""You can't walk," he replied, carrying her with steady steps."Even if I can't walk, I don't need your help! Don't forget, you have a fiancée now!"Zachary's eyes darkened. She really knew how to bring up the most uncomfortable topics.The man had just been in a fight, and his clothes were somewhat disheveled, which only added to his wild nature. His entire presence radiated a dangerous charm.Sarah couldn't help stealing several glances at him. Though she kept telling herself not to fall for him, her heartbeat still involuntarily lost its rhythm.Back at the dormitory, Zachary carefully placed her on the bed and arranged the blankets for her.Sarah frowned, staring at him as she voiced her suspicion. "I never told you
Sarah was stunned into silence by his certainty.When she finally recovered, her words carried hints of embarrassed anger. "Don't flatter yourself. I—Ahh!"Her sentence transformed into a long, sharp cry before she could finish.Zachary held her ankle firmly with one hand while quickly and efficiently spreading the medicinal oil over her foot with the other.Sarah's pain receptors fired, bringing tears streaming down her face. In retaliation, she grabbed Zachary's free arm and bit down hard.A vein throbbed visibly at Zachary's temple.She really wasn't holding back.Zachary had no doubt that his hand was bleeding from her bite.By the time they finished this time-consuming, energy-draining, and the whole "procedure," both Sarah and Zachary had thin layers of sweat on their foreheads.After applying the medicine, Zachary stood up and stumbled slightly.His leg had gone numb from maintaining the same position for too long.Sarah opened her mouth and then closed it, swallowing
"I'll see what food we have in the kitchen. You stay here and don't move around," Zachary said gently. He raised his hand to ruffle Sarah's hair, but she ducked away. He left with a disappointed look.Sarah watched his retreating figure and muttered under her breath, "Is he treating me like a child?"The countryside rooms had poor sound insulation, and soon she heard clattering noises from the kitchen.Curious about what Zachary was doing, Sarah pressed her lips together and carefully eased herself off the bed, supporting herself against the wall.Just as she was about to hop a few steps, she lost her balance on one foot. Sarah let out a sharp cry as she tumbled to the floor.The pain from her ankle made her face turn pale, and her slender body curled up into a small ball.Hearing the commotion, Zachary rushed over. Seeing the scene before him, his pupils contracted in alarm. He hurried to her side and carefully lifted her back onto the bed.The doctors in West Ridge didn't make
The room wasn't very large. Though Zachary had chosen a relatively nice place, the countryside had limited options—it wasn't possible to conjure up a luxury apartment out of thin air.The couch in the living area wasn't even half the length of Zachary's height.If he had to curl up in such a small space to sleep, it would obviously be uncomfortable.Although Sarah didn't want to be indebted to him, she couldn't find the right words at this moment.She could hardly say, "The bed is big enough, we can share it."In the end, she just responded with a simple "Oh" and said nothing more.In the middle of the night, Sarah suddenly felt a chill creeping into her body.When she awoke, she realized she had kicked off her comforter.At that moment, she heard deliberately softened footsteps coming from the other room.Was Zachary still awake?Was he unable to sleep, or was the couch too uncomfortable?Sarah moved her ankle slightly and found it wasn't as painful anymore. Just as she was
"I-I'm telling you, this is in the town, not up in the remote hills. If you try to beat me up, bystanders definitely won't just stand by and watch," he stammered, trying to intimidate Zachary while his hand secretly reached for the door bolt."Relax. I didn't come to beat you today. I'm just curious—why are you so fixated on her?" Zachary asked calmly, fishing for information.He had already made up his mind before coming. If Charlie truly had a grievance with Sarah, he would find a way to send her away. Even if she ended up hating him, that would be better than leaving her in danger.When Charlie heard that Zachary wasn't there to beat him, he immediately relaxed, though his body language remained wary as he kept his eyes fixed on Zachary.Zachary had already figured out Charlie's personality. He knew that unless he revealed some information first, Charlie would never willingly explain his motives for kidnapping Sarah."Sarah is my ex-girlfriend. Our breakup wasn't what I wanted,
When Charlie heard the words "Wilson Factory explosion," he froze, his face showing a complex mix of emotions."Who are you?" he asked warily.Zachary displayed a hunger for money. "Don't be nervous. I'm just a private investigator. By coincidence, I got this big job—find the truth and get paid.""Who's the client?" Charlie's face was full of suspicion.Zachary suddenly gave him a cold look, his tone full of warning. "Charlie, in this business, many things are confidential when it comes to clients. We take the money and do the job, never asking too many questions."Seeing how serious Zachary was, Charlie began to accept that he might really be a private detective."Charlie, this is a genuine two million. Aren't you tempted? If I didn't think you knew a lot about what happened back then, I wouldn't even consider sharing this with you. If we succeed, that's two million—one million each."Charlie's heart trembled at these words. One million! How could he not be tempted?With that
This factory, sealed for nearly ten years, finally revealed its former glory to the people of the East Coast. Charlie confidently led Zachary through the valley. When they reached the innermost part of the mountain range, Zachary followed Charlie's lead and stopped.Weeds had completely covered the area. Charlie efficiently tore away the ivy that had grown over everything, revealing a rust-covered iron door.Time had left its mark on the iron door; the rust flaked off at the slightest touch. In the middle was a chain with a padlock. Charlie casually picked up a stone and smashed it hard against the lock. With a dull thud, the lock fell to the ground.The factory from ten years ago differed greatly from modern ones. It lacked sophisticated security measures, since all the equipment inside was too heavy to steal anyway.They stood before the massive iron door. Zachary reached out to touch the cold metal. "How do you know about this place?"Charlie looked solemnly at the valley befor
Zachary had reviewed the official investigation report from that year.The report stated that explosive materials were found in the materials room on the third floor, brought in accidentally by a supervisor. Large amounts of helium were also discovered in that room, several times more than in other areas.Yet Charlie hadn't mentioned the third floor at all. Instead, he had brought Zachary to the second floor. Either this was the true explosion site, or Charlie was deliberately hiding something.This room had significantly more burn damage than other areas. The workshop was almost completely destroyed, with debris and remnants everywhere. It was impossible to tell what had once been here—just an empty workspace surrounded by areas that still smelled of burning.Zachary's flashlight illuminated the entire room. Charlie had already tried to turn on the power, but without success."The factory's wiring has really deteriorated. Nothing works," Charlie complained.Zachary shook his hea
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