Semua Bab Side Chick Era… Over: Bab 721 - Bab 730

Xavier never returned to the uncomfortable subject that had unsettled Sharon. Instead, most of their conversation circled around her competition and upcoming concert.Before long, noon arrived, and the group chose a buffet restaurant for lunch.Throughout the meal, Xavier busied himself attending to everyone—fetching cups, cutlery, pouring water, and juice. His attentiveness left Theo staring in stunned silence.When Sharon and Matty went to get food, Xavier glanced at Theo with a smile."Theo, why are you looking at me like that?"Theo's gaze darted elsewhere. "N-no reason."Of course, Xavier saw through his thoughts. His smile deepened."Tell me, whenever you eat with your parents, the one rushing back and forth, serving, is always your mother, isn't it?"Theo hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded honestly. "Yes.""And do you think your mother prefers being the one who runs around," Xavier asked gently, "or would she rather be cared for?"Theo thought it over, then said,

Carter's voice came low and hoarse. "That's not what I meant. You misunderstood. I just…"He seemed as though he wanted to explain, but in the end, he gave up.All he said was, "I'm sorry. It's my fault."Sharon's eyes burned with unmasked disgust as she glared at him."Carter, when will you finally stop showing up in front of me and tormenting me? Is divorce not enough to get rid of you? Do I have to leave this world entirely to be free of you?"A flicker of raw hurt flashed across his eyes, disbelief laced with pain. "Sharon… am I really so loathsome to you?"Sharon's lips curved into a mocking smile."Only just realizing it now? This past year, you and Kelly haven't only disgusted me, you've made me sick. Just the sight of the two of you turns my stomach."Her gaze stabbed into him, sharp and merciless, and it burned his eyes.A shadow of fury crossed his expression."Then who do you like? Xavier? Is it because of him that you abandoned your husband and child, that you div

It was Theo's first time in Sharon's apartment, and everything filled him with curiosity.Sharon prepared a room for Theo. Her apartment wasn't small; aside from the rooms reserved for Wendy, Matty, and herself, there were still two spares.Once she finished tidying, she found Theo sitting quietly on the living room sofa, lost in thought. She walked over and asked, "What would you like for dinner? I'll cook for you."Theo snapped back from his daze."Your hand is hurt, Mom. You shouldn't be cooking. Let's just order takeout."As he spoke, something came to mind."Mom, the ointment I gave you doesn't just prevent scarring. It reduces swelling and bruising too."Eager to prove himself, he offered brightly, "Let me put some on for you."Sharon didn't refuse. She pulled the ointment from her bag—the very one he had given her.Carefully recalling Julliard's instructions, Theo applied it to the bruise on her arm. A faint, herbal fragrance drifted through the room, soothing yet rich.

"Is it because… she's your woman?" As he spoke, Thomas gently guided the still-dazed Theo to stand beside him."Theo, your dad's in a bad mood today. Don't be mad at him, okay?"Theo nodded obediently, though he didn't fully understand why his father was upset.Thomas's emotional intelligence was exceptional—he neither blamed nor provoked, unlike Kelly, whose words always carried subtle jabs. Even Carter, who disliked him on principle, couldn't find fault with anything Thomas said.Yet that didn't make Carter like him. On the contrary, he found Thomas unnervingly calculating. He had already suffered losses at Thomas's hands more than once.His tone remained curt. "Keep your schemes to yourself. Don't act sanctimonious here."Thomas only sighed softly. "I truly care about Theo. I'm sincerely just looking out for him."Then he looked at Sharon. "I don't know what I've done to cause such a misunderstanding between us. Sharon… maybe I should leave for now. You were planning to take

Each prize was marked with a designated reward zone somewhere on the object. Only by hitting that zone could the participant claim the prize.The live animals, constantly moving, were positioned at the far end, making the task exceptionally difficult. The most challenging was a cat placed at the very back. Its reward zone was affixed to its tail—hitting it was nearly impossible. But the prize was correspondingly exceptional: a pair of earrings designed by the renowned jewelry designer, Rose. The earrings were worth roughly three hundred thousand. Until now, no one had ever claimed it.Theo knew how difficult it would be to hit the live animals and didn't want to put Thomas in a tough spot. "Thomas, I'll love whatever you give me," he said.Thomas glanced at the distant prize, pondered briefly, and then nocked an arrow.Whoosh!The arrow shot out like lightning. The little animal sensed danger and instinctively tried to dodge—but it was too late. The arrow struck the reward zone