Semua Bab Side Chick Era… Over: Bab 861 - Bab 870

Uriah could hardly miss the little schemes turning in Matty's young mind. With a hearty chuckle, he reached out to ruffle the boy's hair."Don't worry. Sharon and John are practically family. He'll never be your father's rival in love. What you should be worried about isn't John, but your Sharon's ex-husband."Laughter rippled through their small circle.What was unexpected, however, was Thomas. Usually warm and easy with words, he sat unusually silent, his lips sealed from beginning to end. Not once did he speak.Xavier noticed the change, but tonight was Sharon's concert. He couldn't spare his thoughts for anything else.Because on that stage, Sharon was dazzling.She wore a merlot-red fishtail gown, her already beautiful face perfected by careful styling until her every feature was breathtaking. With Shaluna in her hand, her slender form moved with a natural grace, every gesture suffused with elegance. She seemed gilded in a sacred light—like a star burning so brightly that no

Casey said softly, "I was ready for an emergency, but in the end… nothing happened."It wasn't an unreasonable thought. The higher the tree, the more it catches the wind; the brighter the star, the more shadows it attracts.With so many predators lurking around Sharon, it would have been perfectly normal for some kind of incident to occur. Everyone had braced themselves for the worst. The fact that nothing happened was, in itself, the biggest surprise.Wendy warned, "The concert may be over, but we can't let our guard down. The enemy could be waiting for the moment we relax to make their move."John, Casey, and the others nodded quietly in agreement.Sharon glanced at the time and said, "It's getting late. The celebration party will start soon. Let's head over. We shouldn't keep Xavier and the others waiting."Wendy nodded. "Alright. Let's go."Meanwhile, Johanna and Victoria were walking out together, chatting as they went."Your half-sister really is impressive," Johanna rema

All her life, Victoria had carried herself with grace and poise. She never stooped to playing the victim, nor did she pretend to be fragile to win sympathy.In everyone's eyes, she was always the dazzling goddess, untouchable and unshaken, as though nothing in the world could bring her down.When had anyone ever seen her so vulnerable?Richard and Rick, along with Lex and Cole, all instinctively wore the same pained expression. Even Johanna's face betrayed a flicker of guilt and remorse.At that moment, Victoria's lashes trembled. Slowly, she opened her eyes.Richard, Rick, Lex, and Cole surged forward at once, shoving Sharon aside the instant she drew near."Victoria, are you alright?"The force of the push sent Sharon staggering, nearly to the ground.But just as she faltered, a slender, pale hand caught her in time.She turned her head and found it was Thomas."Thank you," she murmured.Thomas withdrew his hand almost immediately, his gaze avoiding hers. He remained silen

Sharon's reply was polite and restrained. "Thank you."After that, she turned toward Victoria, who was still lying on the hospital bed."Victoria, how are you feeling now?"She could bring herself to call Richard her father and Rick her brother, but she could never call Victoria her sister. The word felt false, hollow, almost hypocritical.Victoria didn't seem to mind. She smiled faintly. "I'm fine. With some rest, it shouldn't affect the competition."Sharon nodded. "That's good."Then she shifted her gaze to Richard. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."Richard inclined his head. "Alright. You've had a long day. Go get some rest."After Sharon left, Rick finally spoke."Victoria, be honest with me and Dad. When you said you blocked the acid for Johanna, were you actually covering for Sharon?"Victoria's expression carried a trace of helplessness. "No. What I said was the truth."His falcon-sharp gaze lingered on her face. Only when he saw no sign of evasion did he fin

Thomas said flatly, "Yes, she did deceive me."Sharon let out a soundless sigh. "When you learned the truth, were you very disappointed?""I actually realized long ago she wasn't the real one," Thomas replied. "But at the time, my insomnia was unbearable. I thought maybe hearing her violin again would ease it."As for his savior…A faint, mocking curve tugged at the corner of his lips, hidden by the shadows of the night.How could a guy like him possibly become so enthralled by a single melody, ready to follow someone blindly? That story of a "life-saving benefactor" was nothing more than a palatable excuse for outsiders, a way to appear human, less cold-blooded and merciless than he truly was.Sharon seemed to catch his meaning. "So you used her as an emotional anchor, pretending she was real?"Thomas's voice carried a trace of derision. "Back then, I thought if she could fool me for a lifetime, that would be her skill. Unfortunately, she wasn't particularly clever. To me, that