Sarah collected various sea creatures - starfish, crabs, and even sea snails.Zachary walked up to her, holding the bucket in one hand. His lips parted softly, "Hold out your hand.""What?" Sarah looked at him puzzled."Hold out your hand," Zachary repeated.Sarah extended her hand tentatively, ready to pull back.Zachary placed his closed fist over her palm and dropped something cool into it.A seashell."I found it."Sarah looked at the shell - it was pink with rippling patterns."It's beautiful." She tucked it into her pocket.In the distance, Mia was gazing out, watching Zachary and Sarah together.The two stood by the sea as sunset colors gradually descended, bathing them in orange-red light. It reminded her of romantic scenes from novels she'd read - that's exactly how her brother and Sarah looked."What are you looking at, Mia?" Scarlett put her hand on Mia's shoulder, following her gaze."Looking at my brother and Sarah. I feel like I've seen this scene before, lik
Zachary cleared his throat, more serious than he'd ever been, "Sasa, I don't mind. You know that doesn't matter to me.""I'm not upset because of Charlotte. This world is deeply hostile to women. At yesterday's wedding, everyone's first reaction upon seeing me was that I'm James's ex-wife. They assumed I must have come with bad intentions, must have come to cause trouble. But everyone forgot that James was the main character of this wedding - no one thought of him as Sarah's ex-husband. Even without proper evidence, they were ready to blame everything on me based purely on stereotypes."Zachary pulled Sarah into an embrace, "Sasa, I will protect you.""I know." Sarah's expression softened.Zachary was the only one who had promised to protect her and actually followed through.“Zac! Sarah! Come cook with us, I'm hungry!""Oh! Did I come at a bad time?"Mia froze in place, about to turn back, but Sarah called out to her."Mia, your timing is perfect. I'm hungry too." She pulled M
Finally, Sarah carefully pushed Scarlett's mushroom back to her, "Scarlett, why don't you try it first?""What is it?" She took a bite and her face turned the color of liver. "Blech! It's awful!"Steven looked at her smugly, "Try mine."Scarlett glared at him, "Mrs. Watsons must have given me the wrong recipe. I won't accept this, and I'm not eating yours!"She turned her head away, but the garlic aroma kept tempting her nose.Mia sat next to her, enthusiastically munching on the mushrooms, her eyes sparkling with delight.Scarlett wondered how good they must taste.She'd had Steven's cooking before - it was truly exceptional. But eating it would mean admitting defeat.But it smelled so good, making her mouth water.She couldn't resist anymore!She grabbed the mushroom skewer and took a bite.It was delicious! Damn, Steven had won.Steven grinned triumphantly, "Told you so.""Don't get cocky. You're a chef - of course you can cook."Sarah stifled a laugh, then noticed a g
Though Zachary didn't understand why she brought this up, he nodded - it happened to him occasionally."I just experienced it. Walking with you by the sea, watching the stars, feeling the sea breeze on my face - I feel like this has happened before, more than once." Sarah's eyes held a trace of confusion.Déjà vu wasn't enough to describe what she felt. The phantom memory wasn't just visual but emotional - she could even feel the warmth of that hand and catch whiffs of cedar fragrance from her memory.An indescribable feeling lingered in her chest, like a hungry person finding bread - simultaneously empty and full, hollow yet complete.She laughed behind her hand, "Maybe it's because it's you walking beside me. This is my first time walking with you by the sea, so it feels familiar."Zachary tried to speak several times but couldn't find the words.Sarah pulled him along to continue walking, while he could only grip her small hand tightly, watching her back guiltily as time stret
She dimmed the living room lights to a warm glow and tried to help Zachary to the bedroom, but she was too weak to lift him.After struggling until her forehead was sweaty, she gave up. She found hangover medicine in the hotel's first-aid kit, got him a glass of warm water, helped him take the medicine, and covered him with a blanket. Just as she was about to return to the bedroom, he grabbed her wrist."Don't go..." Zachary whispered.Sarah sat back down on the sofa. He kept mumbling something, and when she leaned closer, she finally heard it clearly: "Sasa, Sasa, I'm sorry..."Sorry?Why was he apologizing again?He'd already apologized during their walk after dinner, and now again?She leaned close to his face. His handsome features seemed troubled by something deep, his eyelashes trembling. His hand was so warm it almost burned her skin.The smell of alcohol lingered, but his unique scent remained.She tapped his lips gently with her finger, "What are you hiding from me?"
Even worse, someone leaked gossip about Sarah and Mr. Reynolds, which became the biggest bombshell."How did someone like her catch Mr. Reynolds' eye? She must have used underhanded methods.""Agreed! The bride was kind enough to invite her divorced ex to the wedding, yet she tried to seduce her former husband and tore up their marriage certificate. Shameless!""Oh no, not Mr. Reynolds! I can't believe it!""Believe it! My friend was at the wedding - Zachary showed up and left with her, holding hands!"Sarah placed her phone face down. No wonder some students had been looking at her strangely at school today.During break, Mia burst into the counseling office."Sarah, I'll have my brother track down whoever posted this immediately!""No need to investigate. Only Charlotte and Lucy would do this," Sarah said coldly.Mia fumed, "We let Lucy off so many times, yet she still dares to do this! And that Charlotte - Sarah, what should we do?"She couldn't bear to see Sarah being sla
She wanted to see just how far they would go. As for these rumors, she never cared about them anyway. She had no interest in playing games with these clowns.Late that night, one of the main players finally responded. Charlotte posted a short message on social media: "Seeing all these news stories these past few days has made me anxious. I don't know where to begin. I just hope everyone can be more rational. Miss Sanders meant no harm - I haven't taken any of her actions to heart. She just loved James too much before. She's quite pitiful, so please stop talking about her."The comments were full of people consoling her, as if Sarah was some unforgivable villain.“Babe, you’re so kind, still defending that person?""Compared to Charlotte, Sarah really is completely shameless.""Exactly! The nerve to call Charlotte the other woman. I'd choose Charlotte too!"Sarah was in Zachary's arms when she saw this post. She put down her phone, "Hah, what an act."Zachary's face darkened, "Sa
"Never do that again, Sasa. You'll make me angry," Zachary said firmly.Sarah nodded solemnly and pulled him to look at her computer, showing a post she'd just written. "What do you think? Is this okay?"Zachary read it through, nodded, and pressed send.In her room, Mia was on the phone, working to make the post go viral.Within just an hour, it had millions of views. Her post was extensive, covering everything from James asking for divorce to Lucy's false hot water attack accusation, the birthday party setup, and the teacher's coerced kidnapping attempt. Every incident was documented with photos, videos, and recordings.Her evidence was comprehensive, without a single gap.At the Chancer house.Crash!A glass shattered on the floor, making Lucy and Charlotte jump."Who posted all this? Why won't you admit it?" James demanded.Charlotte spoke tearfully, "James, it wasn't me. I only just saw this news, that's why I posted that clarification. I didn't want Miss Sanders to be m
Fresh from the gambling den, Charlie was ecstatic, clutching a bundle of cash and laughing wildly. "Zach, we won thirty thousand! Can you believe they just let us walk out?"He found it unbelievable, but Zach seemed unfazed. They hadn't just taken the house; they'd also won a considerable amount from other gamblers, and even helped the house make a profit. It was no wonder they weren't stopped.Holding the money, Charlie mused, "Zach, you wouldn’t believe it. The rich just keep getting richer. Today, our factory received a shipment of equipment, and I heard just one machine costs millions. Compared to them, this thirty thousand really isn't much."Zach casually mentioned, "It seems like the Sanders factory is the only big one left around here."Charlie quickly retorted with a smirk, "Actually, in West Ridge, Sanders isn’t the biggest."Zach raised an eyebrow, "Really? I thought I knew West Ridge pretty well. Apart from Sanders, I haven’t seen any factory bigger than theirs."Char
Charlie finally got it—Manager Sullivan was forcing him to take on this task. He gritted his teeth and determinedly agreed, "Manager, I'll do it."Manager Sullivan smiled approvingly, "That's the spirit! Good employees like you are what this factory needs. Don't worry, the higher-ups won't let your efforts go unrewarded. If you pull this off, you could be looking at a bonus of several thousand."Charlie nodded, "Tonight, then?"Manager Sullivan's expression grew serious as he nodded back, "Yes, tonight."That afternoon, Charlie clocked out and went straight to find Zachary. He couldn’t go back to the old gambling den—they had made a mess last time and were probably blacklisted. As for the money he owed, Charlie didn’t care anymore. After all, they had won a lot last time only to have it stolen, which he figured squared things. Still, that didn't stop him from wanting to gamble again.Just a few days later, he found Zachary and even brought what he considered a fine cigar.As for
Outside the Sanders factory, several trucks were parked at the entrance. Sarah followed Manager Sullivan and Mr. Lambert, watching the unloading process. "Manager Sullivan, all this new equipment has arrived today, right from the headquarters' stock, and it's too late to ship from Germany now," Sarah observed, her voice serious.Mr. Lambert smiled, "I didn't expect you to handle this so quickly, Miss Sanders. It's only been a few days since you went to headquarters to file a complaint, and you've already got the equipment here.""It's all for the good of the factory," Sarah replied, her face still stern. "So, Manager Sullivan, the factory can operate normally now, right? Getting the production line back up is inevitable."Manager Sullivan's expression wasn't much happier; he hadn't expected Sarah to pull this off so quickly. He forced a smile, "Of course."As the equipment was moved into the factory, Manager Sullivan returned to his office, wiping sweat from his brow with his handk
Sarah was puzzled. "An explosion at such a critical moment would make anyone suspicious, wouldn't it? It looks like someone's trying to cover something up."Zachary nodded, his face showing disdain. "You're not the only one who thought so. But Old Mr. Wilson presented the last batch of drugs from their factory, which were supposed to be delivered to hospitals. The tests came back clean, and they claimed the explosion was due to a mishandling of ingredients."Sarah raised an eyebrow. "And everyone just bought that?""Yes, everyone did.""So, you want to prove the explosion wasn't an accident and use that to bring down the Wilson family?" Sarah asked softly.Zachary's face paled; he shook his head slightly. "It's not just that. I want to do more, but..."Sarah shrugged, as if she was used to this kind of talk. "Let me guess, the timing isn't right yet?"Zachary looked at her sincerely. "Sarah, I'm really glad you came to help me with my wounds. When the time is right, I'll come to
Sarah didn't respond to Zachary's earlier words—she simply moved with even more care as she cleaned and bandaged his wound. Her eyes stayed fixed on the task at hand, but her expression was unreadable.Zachary, watching her in silence, gave a soft laugh. "You do care about me, Sasa. No matter what you say, you're not as heartless as you pretend to be."Sarah shook her head, her voice calm but cool. "You're overthinking it. We're both from East Coast—I just don't want to see you die. Besides, you're getting engaged to Miss Wilson in just over half a month. I’m clear of our positions. So please, don't say things like that again."Zachary's face changed instantly. He knew she was right—his engagement to Vivian was a chasm between them, one that he couldn't just leap across. Not while the truth remained buried.That engagement wasn't just a label. It was a shield. A smokescreen. A compromise he'd made to protect Sarah. But knowing she believed it, that it stood between them, only deepe
Charlie felt a chill run down his spine from that single glance. Considering her status, he dared not push any further. "That's all I have to say. The rest is up to you to figure out."He fled the scene, leaving Sarah alone in the room.After washing up, she lay on the bed and checked her emails. Her cousin had sent her updates on the construction progress at Pine Mist Island.Once she finished handling her affairs, Sarah tucked herself under the covers and closed her eyes, trying to sleep, but rest eluded her.Her mind was filled with what Charlie had said about Zachary being injured. He was hurt, and she had no idea how serious the wound was.If it was severe, he would need hospital treatment, which would certainly leave a record and expose his location.If he didn't want his whereabouts known, he would have to treat the injury himself at home.But that wound...Sarah couldn't calm her thoughts. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.Under the bright moonlight, a figu
After the doctor left, Charlie yanked out his IV and clambered off the bed, urging Zachary, "Let's get out of here. This place just drains you dry."Zachary, indifferent since his injuries were feigned, asked, "Your injuries alright?"Charlie, ever so casual about his resilience, boasted, "Ah, I've been roughed up worse before. Just give me a couple of days to rest at home, and I'll be as good as new."With unresolved matters and a longing to see Sarah, Zachary reluctantly set aside his desires. "Then you head back. Call me if you need anything."Charlie, sensing something off, gently tugged at Zachary's suit and noticed his white shirt stained with fresh blood. "Zach, you're hurt!"Zachary's lips were pale, his voice dry. "Yeah.""I'll get the doctor to bandage you up," Charlie said, moving to leave."No need," Zachary stopped him quickly, not wanting to expose his whereabouts by registering at the hospital."What about your wound?""I have a first aid kit at home. It's just
Zachary dragged the unconscious Charlie to the clinic, exacerbating Charlie's injuries as his back scraped against the small stones on the road.When Charlie woke up in the clinic, his howls filled the room. "It's killing me! Where's the doctor? Give me some anesthesia. I'd rather be out cold!"The nurse, irritated by his constant demands, was about to lose her patience when Zachary entered the room. Seeing him, Charlie momentarily forgot his pain and burst into tears. "Bro, did you save me? From now on, you're like a brother to me."Zachary responded indifferently, "Just focus on healing."As the nurse changed Charlie's bandages, she couldn't help but blush at Zachary's rugged, yet undeniably handsome appearance, even slightly disheveled from the fight."Damn it, get out! Are you doing this on purpose, you wretch? Trying to kill me?" Charlie slapped her, swelling her face, as he misunderstood her distracted clumsiness for malice.Zachary frowned, saying nothing. Although he disl
With an agile flip through the air, Zachary caught sight of Charlie sneaking a peek from behind a haystack, his sleazy demeanor perfectly deserving of a beating. The thought of what this scoundrel had done to Sarah intensified Zachary's fury, already heightened by the fierce combat.On the other side, the casino manager watched in rage as his men were effortlessly knocked down by Zachary. Cursing loudly, he shouted, "Damn it, what's the story with this kid?"Seeing some of his underlings still looking for an opportunity to strike, his anger boiled over. "Are you all brainless? Attack him all at once; I refuse to believe he can fight off everyone!"Those still standing and those who had managed to get back up exchanged glances and charged at Zachary with renewed ferocity.Zachary's sharp eyes flashed with disdain. Without moving, his fist met an attacker's face at an extraordinarily tricky angle.The attacker's pained expression froze mid-air, and when he hit the ground, dust flew