Her words had worked - the irritating knocking finally stopped, followed by the sound of the elevator. James was gone at last.Charlotte brought James home and dumped him on the bed.She could no longer contain her fury. To be humiliated like that in front of that woman!Sarah must be feeling so smug right now!But she wouldn't give up. James was hers!A few days later, Sarah submitted her paper to the Psychology Journal. It would probably take about a week to hear back.As she was sketching notes on paper, a pop-up news window appeared on her computer. She moved to close it.But then Zachary's face appeared. He was giving an interview, looking handsome and dignified on screen, radiating quiet confidence and authority.She found herself thinking of his words at the birthday gala, about liking her.Her pen pressed harder against the paper, and without realizing it, she had filled the entire notebook page with Zachary's name.When the news ended, she looked down and blushed at
As Lucy left, a smirk played across her face - she'd heard everything.After classes ended, Zachary came to pick up Mia, and Sarah joined them for the ride home.Since his birthday gala, they'd grown closer. Though neither had put their feelings into words, the spark between them was undeniable.Especially with Mia playing cupid at every opportunity."Sarah, my brother keeps calling just to ask about you. When I ask why he doesn't call you himself, he clams up. He's just too shy!" Mia teased."That's ridiculous," Zachary feigned annoyance."No, it's not!" Mia leaned forward from the backseat, whispering loudly in Zachary's ear. "Want to know Sarah's secret?"Sarah looked puzzled - what secret could she possibly have?“Tell me,” Zachary said with a hint of amusement.Mia wiggled her eyebrows. "When I visited Sarah's office today, she was writing something - your name, over and over again!"Sarah's eyes widened as she reached back to cover Mia's mouth, her cheeks burning. "Stop
But she wasn't sure. Wasn't sure if Zachary really intended to be with her.Even though she understood his feelings and had heard him say he liked her, that didn't mean they could actually be together. After all, she was... a divorced woman.This thought made her expression fall, the earlier warmth doused like flame under ice water.Downstairs, Zachary had no idea about Sarah's doubts. He only thought the almost-kiss had been too brief. As he drove away, even with the air conditioning on full blast, he still felt flushed.Sarah barely slept that night and remained distracted at work the next day. Before hearing back from the Psychology Journal, she received some disturbing news.Professor Wells called, his tone unusually serious. "Sarah, have you shown your paper to anyone else?"Sarah found the question odd. After thinking, she replied, "No, Professor. I only sent it to the journal and you."Professor Wells was silent for a long while before sighing. "Sarah, I believe you, but
"Do you really not understand what I'm talking about? Let me ask more plainly, did you write this paper yourself?" Sarah stared directly at Grace, watching for her reaction.But Grace avoided her gaze, turning away pretending to get water. "Of course I wrote it. It took me over a month."Sarah pressed on, "I wrote this paper in two weeks. Now it appears under your name. I submitted it to the Psychology Journal a few days ago - before the review was even complete, I saw the university announcement. Your paper is identical to mine, even the title is the same. More interestingly, even the references and footnotes are unchanged, and the research direction was developed through discussions with Professor Jane Lawrence. Don't you think I deserve an explanation?"Grace held her water cup, looking at Sarah arrogantly. “Miss Sanders, even if you're the university's favorite, even if you reported the psychology competition and brought in Professor Lawrence. But let me be clear - I published t
Dean Larson turned to Sarah with a stern expression. "What do you have to say?"Sarah walked toward Grace, facing everyone with conviction. "Plenty! First of all, I have a few questions for Professor Harrison.”"Go ahead!" Grace snapped."How did you choose your research direction?"Grace responded quickly, "Obviously, I reviewed numerous international papers and conference reports before finding my direction.""Wrong," Sarah said with a slight smile."How dare you say I'm wrong! I can show you those reports!"Instead of looking at Grace, Sarah connected her laptop to the projector and displayed her email correspondence with Jane, showing discussions about research direction from a month ago."Actually, any research materials you could find would be outdated. While the general direction might be similar, there are significant differences. My direction came from information shared by my mentor, Jane, after the Paris symposium, which I used with her permission."Grace visibly pa
"Being first to publish doesn't make you right. Professor Harrison, I have all the evidence and drafts, including chat records with every expert who scored. If you keep denying it, I'll have to take legal action. Then it won't just be these administrators who know - I'll pursue legal charges and make it public."Dean Larson and the other administrators understood the situation clearly. They weren't fools; they'd all written papers themselves.Dean Larson gave Grace a cold look. "Professor Harrison stole someone else's paper. The university will contact the journal for a retraction.""Dean! The paper's already published. How can you do this? This will damage the university's reputation!"Professor Wells spoke up first, “Grace Harrison! Do you really think the Dean would act unethically just to protect the university’s reputation?"He glanced at Dean Larson, speaking preemptively. He wasn't worried, but he was cautious. To the Dean, perhaps truth wasn't the highest priority.The De
Zachary opened the latest post - an audio file. When he played it, he heard a conversation between a woman and Sarah.Mia was surprised too. Besides their voices, she heard Dean Larson's voice. "Ha! Let's see what those trolls say now! That professor stole Sarah's paper!"She recognized Professor Wells's voice too - they must be in a meeting.She happily posted several comments under the recording. "Zac, Sarah's okay now."Zachary's expression darkened. "Let me take you home first.""We're not waiting for Sarah?""I'll come back after dropping you off."Mia's eyes widened with excitement. "Zac, hurry then! When are you going to make Sarah my sister-in-law?"Zachary patted her head, amused by her persistence. He smiled, "Soon."Back in her office, Sarah reviewed everything carefully, even checking the security footage, but found no clues. Who had stolen her paper?Could Grace really have stolen it herself?She packed up and left the building, surprised to find Zachary waiting
She remembered Zachary making soup in her kitchen before giving her medicine. Setting up a pot, she made herself a simple chicken soup.The plagiarism incident was resolved swiftly. Within two days, Grace's paper was retracted and a formal announcement made. The university promptly terminated her employment.Sarah had just finished reading the notice when she received a call from the Academic Journal.They were direct. “Miss Sanders, your research is groundbreaking. Once you publish, we'd like to discuss featuring it in our journal."Sarah stayed professional. "I'll reach out after publication."Meanwhile, the Psychology Journal's editor emailed, apologizing for their previous harsh treatment."We deeply regret our hasty judgment. Your paper is exceptional, and we were dismayed to see Harrison’s publication. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared - could we discuss publication?""Certainly," Sarah replied.Both prestigious journals wanted her work, though she could only choos
Zachary couldn't quite identify what he was feeling. He calmly signaled the housekeeper to fetch the reports.Sarah carefully opened the door and peeked at Mia hiding in the corner. She also took in the mess on the floor.It seemed Mia was experiencing severe emotional swings. Sarah couldn't use an aggressive treatment approach.Mia spotted Sarah.She blinked, then suddenly burst into tears and started reaching for more breakable items in the room.Sarah rushed in without concern for her own safety. First, she called out firmly, "Mia, stop!"Zachary followed her inside, instinctively positioning himself to Sarah's right, ready to protect her if anything unexpected happened.Seeing this, Mia secretly smiled to herself, more determined than ever to play matchmaker.In her excitement, she set her sights on a waist-high vase.Sarah's attention was completely focused on her. Following Mia's gaze, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately spoke to her with gentle authority, "Mia, no.
Zachary was unhappy with her tone, as if his sister had some incurable disease.Due to his good upbringing and manners, Zachary didn't lose his temper. He simply asked the housekeeper to see the doctor out, his face showing clear displeasure.This was already the fourth psychologist today. All of them were professor-level professionals for whom writing books was a minor achievement.The nanny specifically assigned to care for Mia also had tears in her eyes as she stared at the closed door with endless worry. "Mr. Reynolds, Mia hasn't eaten a single bite since this morning. We can't go on like this."Zachary irritably pinched the bridge of his nose and coldly ordered, "Aren't there still some candidates on our list? Send people to bring all of them here."The nanny bit her lip and gathered her courage to suggest, "Mr. Reynolds, I don't think bringing more experts will help. Why not ask Miss Sanders to try?"Zachary turned to look at her, his expressionless face making the nanny los
Mrs. Chancer anxiously watched Charlotte lying unconscious on the bed, barely hearing anything the hospital director was saying.James had regained his composure after learning that Charlotte was currently stable. He politely responded to the director, "Thank you. Please don't let us keep you from your duties."After speaking, he glanced at the housekeeper.The housekeeper instinctively stepped forward and extended his right hand courteously. "Director, please, let me escort you back."Mrs. Chancer sat on the stool that James had pulled over, staring at Charlotte's pale face with lingering fear, unable to look away for a long time.It wasn't that she truly cared for Charlotte; she was simply afraid of losing her chance to hold her first grandchild.James placed his hand on her shoulder and gently urged, "Mom, you've had a shock. Charlotte is fine now. Why don't you go home and rest?"Mrs. Chancer was still somewhat angry with him. "I'm not leaving. What if you leave the moment I'
She bit her lip hard, regaining some clarity, then shouted toward the stairway, "Help! Someone come quickly! Save my baby!"Before she lost consciousness, several panicked figures appeared in her vision, rushing toward her.The ambulance arrived quickly. Everyone carefully lifted Charlotte inside, where doctors and nurses immediately began emergency procedures.The housekeeper went along in the ambulance to the hospital.On the way, he called both James and Mrs. Chancer, briefly explaining what had happened and giving them the hospital's location.After receiving the call, James put aside his work and rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible.Even though he disliked Charlotte, the child in her womb was his undeniable responsibility.Mrs. Chancer reacted as if the world was ending. As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she frantically found a doctor and grabbed his hand, refusing to let go. "Where is my daughter-in-law? Where is she? Is the baby okay?"The doctor she corne
Perhaps due to her extreme emotional state, Charlotte quickly fell asleep.She had a dream.In her dream, she had just gotten off a plane and spotted James in the distance, elegantly leaning against his car waiting for her. In that moment, his eyes were fixed only on her.Charlotte ran toward him happily, wanting to throw herself into his arms and hold him tight.However, halfway there, she saw another woman appear from the side who ran straight into James's welcoming embrace.She could clearly see that James's eyes were filled with affection, without sparing even a glance in her direction."No, this can't be real. Who is she?" Charlotte shook her head in disbelief as she walked closer step by step. When she saw the woman's face, she instantly fell apart."Sarah Sanders, why is it you again? Why do you keep haunting me? James is mine. Don't you dare try to take him away." Charlotte lunged forward like a madwoman, trying to separate them.A mist enveloped the couple, and the scen
The guard at the door was easy to convince. She made up a simple excuse about having a stomachache or needing to see a doctor.The police still sent someone to follow her to the building entrance. When they arrived, the officer blocked her path. "Ms. Garnett, please go back. Without approval, you can't see anyone except your doctor.""Not even my husband? My stomach hurts terribly. I need to see my husband to feel at ease," she pleaded.But the officer wouldn't budge. "Ms. Garnett, please return!"Just then, the officer received a phone call. After listening for a few moments, the officer stepped aside.Charlotte walked in confidently, wearing sunglasses with her head held high.The receptionist greeted her politely, "Miss, who are you here to see? Do you have an appointment?"Charlotte removed her sunglasses, frowning slightly with an annoyed tone, "I'm here to see your CEO, James Chancer. Do I really need an appointment?"The receptionist was new and didn't recognize Charlotte
As Mrs. Sanders kept talking, not only did Sarah stay silent — she actually started laughing.Mrs. Sanders frowned. “What are you laughing at?”Sarah’s gaze turned cold. Her voice was calm but sharp. “Shouldn’t matters between us younger people be handled by us directly? Wouldn’t it sound bad if word got out that you’re getting involved like this?”She paused for a second, then added with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Besides, no matter what, I’m still the biggest shareholder in Sanders Group. Firing an employee is well within my rights, don’t you think?”Right now, Sarah was actually glad Mrs. Sanders had finally dropped the act and shown her true colors. At least it saved Sarah the trouble of pretending to be polite.Mrs. Sanders still wore the kind, gentle smile of an elder, but her voice turned colder underneath. “So what, you’re using your position to pressure me now?”Sarah laughed softly. “You’re joking. How would I dare?”Without bothering to continue the
Later that night, Sarah went downstairs with her empty glass to get some water. But just as she passed by the living room, she overheard a conversation between Melvin and Mrs. Sanders.“You’re really impossible to talk to, you know that?” Mrs. Sanders sounded both angry and disappointed. “It’s not just me — everyone in the family has been trying to convince you. Sarah studied psychology, not business. She has no experience at all. The entire Sanders Group is depending on you.”Melvin’s voice, on the other hand, was clearly filled with impatience. “I’m pretty sure I told you a long time ago, stop bringing up anything about Sarah.”Mrs. Sanders snorted coldly. “How can I not bring it up? It’s just that you’re willing to work like a fool without asking for anything in return. If you’re just going to be a tool to manage Sanders Group for someone else, I really don’t understand why you’re doing all this.”She paused, then added, “By the way, your aunt hinted to me earlier — she wa
Melvin forced a small smile.He honestly didn’t know how his mother could scold him so viciously over the phone just a few days ago… only to turn around tonight and act like nothing had happened, praising him in front of everyone.Mrs. Sanders finally seemed to notice Sarah as well. She smiled politely and nodded. “Sarah, you’re here too? Come on in.”Many of the Sanders family elders were there tonight. When Uncle Shawn saw Sarah, his face lit up with joy. He quickly pulled her over to sit at the main table beside him.“Sasa, you must have had a rough time in West Ridge. Later, I’ll ask the kitchen to make all your favorite dishes, just for you.”Sarah’s heart warmed at his words. Uncle Shawn really did treat her like his own daughter.But when she glanced to the side, she noticed Mrs. Sanders looking at her coldly — like she was staring at an enemy.Tonight’s birthday banquet wasn’t just a family gathering. Even members of the White family were there.The moment Madam White