Lately, James had been swamped with work, leaving early and coming home late every day. But today, he had the rare luxury of sleeping in and was now sitting in the dining room, calmly eating breakfast.The housemaids, unaware of his presence or schedule, were busy chatting as they worked.“Wait, you’re saying the woman who got into that car accident—the Sanders heiress—was our sir’s ex-wife?”“That’s right. But shhh, don’t go around saying her name out loud. Miss Sanders is history now. Don’t ever bring up that name in this household.”“Don’t worry, I know better.” One of the maids, still mid-conversation, stepped through the threshold into the living room without looking up. She hadn’t noticed the man sitting on the couch. Her voice remained loud. “Still, it’s such a shame. Poor thing. She’s so young—I wonder if she’ll even make it.”Before she could hear her colleague’s reply, she noticed her expression shift in horror.“What’s wrong—”“What were you just talking about?”Both
When Melvin finally got home, he wearily pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. As he bent down to take off his shoes, he noticed a pair of pink women’s slippers quietly sitting by the doorway.His brows furrowed. After changing into his indoor slippers, he loosened his tie and walked briskly toward the master bedroom on the first floor.As soon as he opened the door, a wave of cool air rushed out.The air conditioning was off. She wasn’t there.Melvin closed the door and instinctively glanced at his watch. A sharp throb pulsed behind his temple again. He took a deep breath, then pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number.The call connected. A low, slightly hoarse male voice came through, tinged with irritation—clearly just woken up. “What is it?”“Is Sarah with you?” Melvin asked without preamble.Zachary sat up instantly. His dark eyes gleamed coldly in the dim light. “I dropped her off around eleven. Isn’t she asleep?”Melvin gave a noncommittal hum, the pit in hi
Sarah bit down hard on her tongue.The sharp pain jolted her back to her senses, giving her just enough strength to keep going. Her legs, heavy as lead, managed a few more wide strides. To lighten the load, she flung her purse into the grass by the roadside. It landed in the dew-soaked blades with a soft thud.Then came the blare of a horn.Sarah whipped around instinctively, eyes wide with fear.Just before everything went black, the last thing she saw was the woman behind the wheel—wild eyes, twisted in a frenzy. That deranged expression burned itself into Sarah’s mind as consciousness slipped away.Silence returned to the night.The truck’s engine cut off. Its headlights died. The hulking vehicle now sat in the shadows like a beast drifting into sleep.A door opened.Under the dim streetlamp, the woman’s face finally came into view.Vivian’s limbs were shaking. Her hands trembled, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. Yet her lips were curled in a chilling, alm
“Henry Fisher?”Sarah pressed her lips together, thinking for a moment. The name sounded familiar. If she remembered correctly, he was Melvin’s assistant.Still, something felt off—though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.She shook her head, brushing away the uneasy thoughts. Right now, picking him up was more important. Without hesitation, she grabbed her bag and slung it back over her arm. “Send me your location. I’m coming now.”As soon as she opened the map and searched the pinned address, her finger hovered above the ride-hailing app. Her expression shifted.The place was only a few hundred meters away.Sarah calmly exited the app and reopened it, just to be sure. Still the same distance.Now she was starting to wonder if Melvin had intentionally chosen a bar this close to her place.It was almost midnight. The wind outside howled against the windows, and the moon was hidden behind thick clouds. The night felt eerie.She let out a long breath, lips curving into a f
He turned and headed downstairs. “I need to use the kitchen.”“Of course,” Mrs. William replied.Two hours later, Sarah finally woke up.Mrs. William walked in, carrying a bowl of soup. “This is mushroom soup. Try it—it’s been simmering for two hours.”Sarah took a sip.“Well? Isn’t it delicious?” Mrs. William asked with a proud smile.Sarah gave her a puzzled look. “Didn’t you make this?”Mrs. William gave her a meaningful glance. “No. Mr. Reynolds did.”Sarah froze in surprise. “He was here?”Mrs. William nodded. “He heard you had stomach pain and went straight into the kitchen. He stayed for an hour, then got called away by a phone call.”Sarah stirred the soup in silence, a strange warmth rising in her chest.This wasn’t the first time he had made this for her when she wasn’t feeling well. Back then, she used to take medicine, and every time, he’d follow it with a bowl of mushroom soup.Something in her heart began to shift, like the first crack in a long-frozen lake.
Leon silently pushed Vivian aside and made her sit on the couch. His voice was cold."Vivian, wake up. The Wilson Corporation is bound to go bankrupt."In today’s digital age, every scandal the Wilson family has been involved in has already spread like wildfire. People have an almost obsessive sense of justice—especially when the law fails. In those moments, they’ll take matters into their own hands to satisfy that sense of right and wrong.And in this case, the Wilsons were the perfect scapegoat.There was no saving the company. Not unless the victims came back to life.But obviously, that wasn’t going to happen. Their bodies had already decomposed in that abandoned factory, and their souls would remain trapped there forever.With their injustice unresolved, the public’s anger toward the Wilsons only grew—on behalf of the innocent people who died."I don’t believe it!" Vivian cried. "Why should the Wilsons go bankrupt? I didn’t even do anything wrong!"She wiped her tears. The