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
After hanging up, Charlotte asked worriedly, "James, what's wrong?""The company's in trouble."James left with just those words, unable to calm down, desperate to get back to the office.He knew this wasn't coincidence. Yesterday he'd wondered why Zachary hadn't acted, and today this bombshell dropped.Charlotte watched James's retreating figure anxiously. Seeing him so flustered, the situation must be serious.Back in her room, Charlotte angrily punched her pillow. She couldn't understand how things had escalated this far. She'd only wanted to teach Sarah a lesson, but now James clearly didn't trust her.The storm from Sarah's post hadn't passed when Chancer Corp was hit. As soon as James reached the office, his secretary rushed to him in panic. Not only were their business partners terminating contracts, but their stock was also falling.James started calling partners, but they all said the same thing - they'd found new collaborators and would accept the deposit penalties.B
Lucy collapsed on the bed. Her brother wasn't just threatening - she could tell he was serious this time.She took the tablet, hands trembling as she copied and pasted the text, then posted it.James immediately called Zachary, "Mr. Reynolds, Lucy has apologized. Could you show some mercy?"The voice on the phone was ice-cold, "Not enough. If Mr. Chancer wants to apologize, he should show more sincerity."After the call ended, James thought briefly, then made his decision.He called a press conference in the Chancer family's name to apologize to Sarah and clear up all misunderstandings publicly.Before the conference, James specifically called Sarah to ensure she would attend. After getting her confirmation, he invited numerous media reporters.On the day of the press conference, James waited with Charlotte and Lucy, along with many reporters, all anticipating Sarah's arrival.Ten minutes later, Sarah arrived - with Zachary behind her.All spotlights turned to Sarah and Zachar
Under the spotlights, Charlotte's panic was unmistakable. Even James couldn't cover for her.Sarah smiled faintly, "Charlotte, you staged that scene with the torn marriage certificate and wedding photos at your wedding. You were also behind these recent news stories, weren't you? Including bribing someone to threaten me.""You're lying! I would never do such despicable things. Miss Sanders, what did I ever do to you? Just because I married James, you shouldn't treat me like this. You have Zachary now - why go to such lengths against me? How does ruining my reputation benefit you?"Tears rolled down her face as she played the victim."Officers, don't let us delay your work. Take her away," Zachary said coldly.As Charlotte was led away, she tried grabbing James, "James, you must believe me!"At the press conference, Charlotte's arrest became the biggest story, overshadowing the original purpose.In front of so many reporters, James couldn't react strongly, forced to maintain a co
Inside the hall, when James tried to follow, reporters blocked his path, more interested in Charlotte's story."Mr. Chancer, how much did you know about your wife's attacks?""Did you order this, or were you completely unaware?""Based on what you said, can we conclude Miss Garnett was actually the third party in your marriage with Miss Sanders?”"Mr. Chancer, regarding the marriage certificate incident at the wedding, should we assume Miss Garnett framed Miss Sanders?”Zachary chased after them to the parking lot. Melvin stopped and turned, throwing a punch at Zachary's face. "Get lost! Never come near Sasa again."His eyes showed nothing but contempt and coldness.Sarah stared blankly before coming to her senses, “Melvin! Don't hit him! He's been helping me!"Melvin laughed mockingly, throwing another punch, "I warned you, didn't I? Never approach Sasa. Why won't you listen?" He viciously landed punch after punch on Zachary.Sarah frantically broke free from her uncle's grip
Perhaps because of those words, Zachary stopped resisting, and Sarah left with Melvin.Melvin and Uncle Shawn booked a hotel, planning to stay in East Coast for a few days.James paced back and forth several times outside Sarah's door before finally gathering the courage to knock.Sarah opened the door. "Sarah, I..."A stern voice interrupted, "Sasa, who is it?"Uncle Shawn emerged from the living room. Seeing James, his face hardened as he moved to block Sarah from view. "Why are you here? Yesterday's press conference made everything clear. You and Sasa have no connection anymore. Please leave.""Uncle, I came to...""Don't call me uncle. You're divorced from Sasa - we're strangers now. Given what your family did to her, I could easily take advantage of your company's current situation. Consider this a warning - if you keep bothering her, I might do just that," Uncle Shawn said coldly.Melvin came out too, glancing dismissively at James before slamming the door.Rebuffed, Jam
Sarah's lips curved into a slight smile. "Oh right, I almost forgot to tell you. I'm moving to the dormitory near the factory today, so you won't have to worry about me anymore.""You're moving out?" Charlie's eyes widened in surprise."No way." After processing what she said, he rushed over and forcefully grabbed the suitcase from her hands."What are you doing?" Sarah glared at him angrily. "Give me back my suitcase."Charlie laughed coldly. "I can give it back, but nothing in this world is free. You've lived here for so long—you should at least pay some rent."Hearing this, Sarah calmed down. "How much do you want?"Charlie thought Sarah had agreed, so he quickly held up five fingers. "At least this much."Sarah asked, "Five thousand?"Charlie shook his head. "At least fifty thousand."Sarah covered her mouth and laughed."What's so funny?" Charlie threw the suitcase to the floor, angry and impatient. "I'm telling you, don't think I'm joking. Today, if you don't pay up, yo
Zachary smirked as he watched Charlie, amused by his outlandish claims. The poor fool was so wrapped up in his fantasies of wealth that he completely missed the mockery in Zachary's eyes.But as they say, no plan survives contact with reality.Charlie never imagined his schemes would collapse before they even got off the ground."How could I lose?" Charlie stared blankly at the dice on the gambling table, unable to believe what was happening.The noisy sounds of the gambling den faded away as his mind blocked them out. His ears heard nothing, and everything around him became a blur."Hey, are you playing or not? If not, get out of the way. You're blocking the table," someone shoved him aside.Charlie was like a mad dog now, ready to snap at anyone.He turned around angrily, about to lash out, when he saw Zachary standing calmly in the crowd as if nothing had happened.That made sense—after all, it was his money that was lost.Realizing this, Charlie couldn't contain the anger
"Six million… Where the hell am I supposed to get six million?!"The factory’s demand had nearly scared Charlie senseless. But even faced with that staggering number, not once did it cross his mind to end it all. Guys like him—the ones who never took responsibility—were always the ones clinging to life the hardest, like their sole purpose was to drag others down with them.Suddenly, his bloodshot eyes lit up like he'd just grabbed hold of his last lifeline. He muttered to himself, voice shaky but growing in conviction, “Wait, no... there’s still one person. We’re brothers. He wouldn’t just leave me like this.”Zachary had seen this coming from a mile away—he just didn’t think it would take Charlie this long to show up.Now here he was, on his knees, groveling.Zachary leaned forward slightly, one brow raised, voice cold enough to cut glass. “Charlie. Give me one good reason I should help you.”Some people only learned when they were shoved to the edge. And with someone like Charl
After hanging up the phone, Manager Sullivan carelessly packed up a few of his things and left the factory.East Coast. Melvin sat in his office, staring at the email Mr. Lambert had just sent. The entire timeline was laid out—every detail, every suspicion, all the context. He read it twice, barely blinking.He never imagined his mother would go this far behind his back, meddling in the West Ridge factory like this.Then again, maybe he should’ve seen it coming.Three years ago, when Sarah handed him control of the Sanders Group, his mother had already started revealing her true intentions—dropping hints, making comments, all nudging him toward taking over. But there was no need to seize anything. Sarah never wanted power. From day one, she’d made it clear she had no interest in running the company. She wanted to be a psychologist. The company had been a burden she was more than ready to pass on.So what was the point? Did it really matter who held what shares?He’d fought bit
“Stop right there.” Manager Sullivan raised a hand, cutting Sarah off. “Miss Sanders, you can twist a story all you want, but you don’t get to throw around accusations like that. Damaging company property? That’s a serious charge—I won’t stand for it. I’ve worked at this factory for years, always by the book. You really think I’d sabotage the company’s equipment?”Sarah didn’t reply right away, but Mr. Lambert stepped forward, his tone sharp. “So you’re saying you had no idea this happened? That Charlie made it all up to frame you?”Manager Sullivan nodded eagerly, latching onto the narrative. “Exactly! Charlie’s got a long history in this factory. Always looking for shortcuts, always stirring up trouble. He’s hated me for years. I’ve been trying to fire him forever. It makes perfect sense that he’d want revenge. That man’s a mess—gambling, drinking, drugs—you name it. He’s up to his neck in debt. He begged me for money and I said no. So now he’s spinning lies to take me down? Please
Hearing Charlie’s threats, Manager Sullivan only laughed harder.“You really think someone like you could take me down?” he sneered. “I told you before—I’ve got people backing me. Did you really think I’d go into this without covering my own ass? Even if Sarah knows, so what? I’ll just laugh at your stupidity. You don’t even know who’s behind me, and you still dared to snitch? Don’t worry—you’ll find out soon enough. Some people aren’t to be messed with.”Charlie’s grin disappeared. “We’ll see.”Manager Sullivan gave him one last cold glance. “Here’s a piece of advice—watch your back. If you’d kept your mouth shut, you’d only have Sarah and Mr. Lambert gunning for you. But now? You’ve pissed me off too. Tell me—how do you expect to survive in West Ridge after this?”With that, he turned and strode back toward the factory, leaving Charlie standing there in the dust, rattled by what he’d just heard.Because the truth was… Charlie had no idea who Manager Sullivan’s backers were. And
“Did you tell them about me or not?!” Manager Sullivan’s voice dropped, sharp and cold.But Charlie didn’t answer the question. He just clung to him desperately. “Boss, you said you'd protect me! You promised! You have to help me! Sarah and Mr. Lambert are making me pay six million for the damages—six million! I can’t pay that! You have to save me!”“Six million?” Manager Sullivan’s face tightened. Even he had never touched that kind of money. His entire net worth wasn’t even half of that. Where the hell was he supposed to get six million for Charlie?Charlie’s eyes were pleading, frantic. His lips were dry and cracked from the panic, already bleeding slightly, and tears shimmered at the corners of his eyes. “Please, Boss. If I go to jail, it’ll be for ten years. I can’t survive that. Please…”He gripped Manager Sullivan’s arm like his life depended on it, fingers white from the force of it. But Sullivan pulled away coldly, avoiding eye contact.“I don’t have that kind of money,”
Charlie's hands were shaking uncontrollably. He couldn’t go to jail—he wouldn't go to jail.No. No, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.Manager Sullivan had promised he’d protect him. He’d said everything would be fine.But Sarah and Mr. Lambert weren’t bluffing. Everything they’d said had sounded terrifyingly real. What if Sullivan couldn’t actually help him?“I’m not going to jail,” Charlie muttered, more to himself than anyone else, cold sweat running down his back.Sarah let out a cold snort. “Oh? And who told you that? Let me guess—you wouldn’t have dared pull a stunt like this on your own. So why don’t you just tell me who put you up to it? Unless you really believe they’ve got the power to save you. Don’t forget—everything that person has came from the Sanders family.”Charlie froze. The way she said it made it clear—she already knew who was behind it.“So… if I tell you, does that mean you’ll drop the charges?” Charlie asked, eyes wide with desperation.Sarah walked
Charlie shook his head, his face pale, still refusing to admit it. “It wasn’t me! I don’t know what you’re talking about. Even if that video shows me, so what? How can you be sure I was doing anything wrong? I came in at 2 a.m. to check if the machines could still be fixed. I did it for the good of the factory!”Sarah let out a cold laugh. “Wow. That’s the best you could come up with? You really expect me to believe you were being noble at two in the morning? Don’t forget, we’ve got more than just one camera. You think we only set up one? Every step you took was recorded—and more than that, someone saw you. We’ve got video and a witness. You’re not getting out of this.”Charlie’s face twisted in disbelief. “No way! There was no one there last night—I checked! You could’ve bribed someone just to frame me!”Sarah’s expression didn’t budge. “If you’re that desperate to keep lying, feel free to tell it to the cops. I’m done listening to your nonsense. Mr. Lambert, call the police.