LOGINWendy froze for a moment.She murmured to herself, "Thomas? Or Carter?"She glanced at the time. Carter hadn't left Marcentine yet. Since Thomas had departed, Carter had tried visiting Sharon a few times, but Sharon had been too busy dealing with Lex and had refused. At this hour, disturbing his sleep seemed inappropriate.Yet, Wendy recalled how Carter had once left in the dead of night for Kelly without hesitation. She figured there was no need to be polite now. Pulling out her phone, she was about to call Carter.Just as she dialed, Xavier suddenly said, "Are you sure she said 'Carter' and not 'Thomas'?"Wendy froze. A wave of uncertainty washed over her.If it wasn't Carter… then it had to be Thomas.Xavier's gaze lingered on Sharon, complex and unreadable.At that moment, Carter answered the phone. His voice, slightly drowsy, came through."Wendy? Why are you calling at this hour? Did something happen to Sharon?"Wendy pressed her lips together. "Sharon has a fever. Co
Wendy propped her chin in her hand, drowsy and drifting toward sleep. She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she suddenly caught a faint whisper from Sharon."Water…"Instantly, Wendy was fully awake. She looked at Sharon, whose eyes remained tightly shut, lips moving as she murmured the same word over and over.The sound also stirred Xavier, who immediately opened his eyes. He rose and poured a glass of warm water, handing it to Wendy."Thank you," Wendy said. She helped Sharon take a few sips, then carefully laid her back down. She pressed her hand to Sharon's forehead—still a little warm, but no longer as feverish as before. Relief washed over her.Glancing at the clock, Wendy saw it was 2:30 a.m. She had just dozed off earlier but wasn't feeling sleepy now."I'll stay with Sharon," she said to Xavier. "You should get some rest."Xavier shook his head. "The jet lag hasn't worn off yet. I'm not really sleepy either."Since neither of them felt the need to sleep, they b
Wendy had spent the past two days dragging Sharon around the city, trying every possible way to lift her spirits. Sharon had laughed along obediently, but Wendy knew it was a forced smile. She wasn't truly happy—she simply didn't want to disappoint Wendy's efforts.Perhaps from a chill or sheer exhaustion from overwork, the tension Sharon had carried for so long finally unraveled, and she fell ill. Her fever raged through the entire night. It wasn't until the next day, when Wendy couldn't find Sharon anywhere, that she realized something was seriously wrong.Panicked, she rushed Sharon to the hospital.Coincidentally, at that moment, Xavier had just finished handling matters with his grandmother and returned to Marcentine with Matty. Upon learning the situation, Xavier immediately hurried to the hospital.Seeing him arrive, Wendy's frayed nerves finally settled somewhat. She had been so worried she almost called Thomas, but she knew now wasn't the right time for the two of them to
Sharon's gaze flickered slightly at the mention of Thomas's name, but in the end, she remained silent.Wendy quickly shifted the topic. "Sharon, once we finish wrapping things up, let's go out for a bit—do some shopping. I've been stuck at Lesley's place for so long, I haven't done any shopping since."Sharon nodded. "Alright."…Lately, Sharon had been working overtime almost every day, with hardly a moment to rest. Now, with everything settled, the tight string in her body finally loosened.Three or four documents still lay unopened on her desk. Sharon decided she would go through them tonight and spend tomorrow accompanying Wendy on their shopping trip. She intended to rest her head for a moment first—but before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she felt someone drape a jacket over her shoulders. Instantly, she awoke.Rubbing her eyes, she murmured, "I dozed off again… Thomas, what time is it?"The air seemed to pause for a bri
Lex had wasted far too much time on Thomas, and in doing so, handed Sharon the perfect opening.The sector Thomas had been unable to pry loose was the very one Sharon had managed to break into.What Wendy found truly unbelievable was that, after suffering such a major loss, Lex still thought a few words would be enough to make Sharon hand over those resources willingly.That level of thinking was almost astonishing.Sharon, however, didn't take it to heart. Instead, she said calmly, "The more they underestimate me, the easier our work becomes—and the more likely we are to succeed with half the effort."Wendy laughed. "For a while now, Lex will probably be too busy putting out his own fires to come looking for trouble with us."Sharon, this is really satisfying. Not only did we make Lex choke on his pride, we also took over part of the Malcolm family's medical resources. Now let's see how he keeps acting so arrogant. Will he still think he's unique and irreplaceable?"Sharon repl
"Nothing stays in bloom forever. This is a road everyone must walk."Lex's voice cut through Sharon's thoughts, "Sharon, my dad treated you with extraordinary generosity. He entrusted you with such crucial core resources. You choose not to repay him. And on top of that, you take our resources and use them to steal our partners. Is there really anyone in this world more heartless and ungrateful than you?"Sharon snapped back to herself. Her tone remained calm as she said, "Lex, have you ever considered that perhaps Uriah gave me those resources precisely to leave Malcolm Group and your former partners a way out?"He's someone who values emotion deeply. He didn't want the entire Malcolm Group to be driven by cold, calculating profits alone, with no trace of human feeling."If those resources had fallen into the hands of your family, the outcome would still be nothing more than ruthless calculation. That's why he delayed for so long before ever handing the company over to you."Lex l







