Lahat ng Kabanata ng Side Chick Era… Over: Kabanata 1341 - Kabanata 1350

Thinking of Thomas, Xavier's smile faded slightly. Compared to Julliard, Thomas was the real trouble. He even wondered if the last time he had been set up, Thomas might have had a hand in it.As he pondered this, the overhead lights dimmed suddenly. A soft glow appeared in the dark.Thomas's sharp, sculpted features seemed almost carved from stone, and in the warm yellow candlelight, a gentle halo traced his silhouette, melting him into the surrounding shadows. The flickering flame cast tiny, scattered shadows across his long lashes, like stars dropped into a deep pool.He looked at Sharon through the interplay of light and dark and smiled slightly, as if the entire world had paused in that moment."Sharon, happy birthday."Sharon's pupils reflected his flawless, arresting face, and for a moment, she felt strangely dazed. Even her heartbeat seemed to skip, stumbling out of rhythm.Then the overhead lights snapped back on.Firework tubes went off with sharp "pop pop" sounds, show

Jamie suddenly remembered his birthday.In past years, he would have celebrated it with Victoria and Johanna. Even if work or travel kept him away, they would always make up for it afterward. Victoria had never been completely indifferent to him.But this year… no one had offered to celebrate. Neither Victoria nor Johanna had mentioned making up for it.Jamie knew why. The distance between him and Johanna had grown, thanks to Victoria and Thomas. He could accept Johanna's absence—she was his own sister, after all, and he owed her in more ways than one. But Victoria…Jamie's mind returned to that day, when he had been barely clinging to life, sent into surgery, and Victoria had been out on a date with Thomas. She had sat across from his enemy, eating and laughing, as if he had already been abandoned.He had lost all value, become a discarded piece on the chessboard.A flame of emotions roared in his chest, scorching his heart in a way words could not contain. He and Victoria wer

John glanced at Wendy. "Then how do you explain this? He doesn't need money, yet he chooses to stay by Sharon's side. This time, he almost died at Toni's hands trying to save Theo and Sharon. "Before that, he kept causing trouble for Jamie to avenge her. He even chopped off Jamie's hand. Think about it. They've been through so much together… you really think they're just boss and subordinate? Or just very good friends?"Wendy muttered, "Sure, Thomas has done a lot for Sharon, but she's not exactly lacking either. Have you ever seen her put this much effort into anyone else? She made up all of Thomas's missed birthdays herself, and they're all handmade… Even Carter doesn't get that kind of attention. "Sharon is extraordinary. It's only natural someone like Thomas would care for her. And today? Honestly, anyone would be completely captivated. This shows Sharon has… a magnetic personality."Her voice faltered mid-sentence, and she realized something.Yes, Thomas's feelings for Shar

After Thomas left, Sharon turned her attention to the gifts in her room.The ones from Theo, Matty, and Wendy were all handmade—delicate, carefully crafted little treasures. Ginny and Casey had chosen their gifts with similar care, selecting pieces of jewelry that felt unique, far beyond the ordinary designs found in stores.The remaining three men had been more pragmatic. John and Xavier's presents were thoughtful in a different way—investments, opportunities that could benefit Sharon's endeavors. When she finally opened Carter's gift, she couldn't help but smile. It was a billion-dollar check.He had clearly never forgotten that one billion from before. Sharon paused for a moment, then tucked the check away. The past was past. If she could coexist peacefully with Carter, there was no harm in that.After unpacking all the gifts, Sharon noticed a small, unfamiliar box buried at the very bottom of the bag. Her movements froze. She was certain she hadn't seen this box at the birthday

Yet, Jamie still couldn't place where he had seen such a scene before.After carefully putting the paintings away, Jamie called his assistant."Have we located MK yet?"The assistant replied, "Not for now. Ginny was very careful when she took the paintings—seems like she was deliberately hiding her tracks."He paused, then added, "Should I… look into who Ginny has been in contact with recently?"Jamie shook his head. "No need. Ginny is the eldest daughter of the Blakely family. Any investigation on her would be obvious, and MK might resent it. MK agreed to send the paintings out of consideration for Ginny, so we shouldn't do anything that could upset them."The assistant acknowledged and was about to hang up when Jamie added, "Contact Ginny and see if she can provide MK's direct contact. If MK has new works, I want to buy them straight from MK, at whatever price they set."The assistant agreed.The next day, Sharon received a call from Ginny. She informed Sharon that the painti