Her left cheek burned as she covered it with her hand."Get out! Stop bothering me! I'll slap you every time I see you," Sarah said coldly before walking away.Charlotte slowly stood up, holding her cheek. She drove straight to James's office, looking pitifully at him."James, I apologized to Sarah." She moved her hand, revealing an obvious red handprint."What happened to your face?" James asked."Sarah slapped me. She must have been very angry," she said plaintively, hoping for sympathy.Instead, James gave her a cold glance and returned to his computer.Melvin had already started making moves. James had just learned that Melvin was approaching their new business partners."Go home. I'm busy."Charlotte's heart felt like ice.After several consultations with Dr. Rogera, Sarah modified Mia's treatment plan with good results. Mia could now sleep without sleeping pills or hypnosis.However, she still couldn't handle strangers and stayed glued to Sarah's side.The biggest new
The Reynolds mansion buzzed with activity for William's homecoming. At the ornate rectangular dining table, William sat at the head, with Mr. Wilson next to him, followed by Vivian. Zachary sat on the right."Vivian, come sit by me," William insisted, pointing to Zachary's seat. Vivian exchanged places with Zachary, smiling."To your recovery, Grandpa William." Vivian drained her wine glass while he had tea."You're truly Wilson's granddaughter - so spirited!" William finished his tea in response.During dinner, Vivian checked her phone and stood to greet someone. She returned with Mia and... Sarah."Zachary, Mia should be here for Grandpa William's homecoming. Since she needs Sarah, I invited them both. You don't mind?"He hadn't seen Mia in days."Of course not. Thank you for being so thoughtful," Zachary replied formally, studying Sarah intently. Why had she agreed to come?Sarah and Mia sat in the corner. William acknowledged Sarah with a nod while showing great concern for
William watched Vivian approvingly. She was Wilson's only grandchild and future heir.Sarah poured juice for Mia, who focused on her dessert.William, not having seen Mia in ages, ordered her favorite dishes. "Miss Sanders, thank you for caring for Mia, especially after the kidnapping incident. The Reynolds family is grateful. Tell Zachary if you need anything."His words, though polite, clearly marked Sarah as an outsider."You're too kind, Mr. Reynolds."Vivian studied Sarah with an unreadable expression, playing the perfect hostess as if to make a point."Miss Sanders, you were unwell when I invited you at the hospital. Don't refuse this time. Brother Zachary hired Ming Zhen's chef to celebrate Grandpa's recovery. Remember we mentioned dining at St. Ritz? This makes up for it," Vivian smiled.Sarah nodded, finally recognizing the familiar taste of the blue shrimp - Steven's cooking.Right then, Steven brought out a dish. "Mr. Reynolds, this is my latest creation, just for yo
Vivian approached gently. "Mia, Grandpa's waiting. He's worried. Will you say hello to him?"Despite everyone's coaxing, Mia held Sarah's wrist tightly, shaking her head.Seeing Vivian's pleading look, Sarah gently removed Mia's hand. "I won't leave, Mia. I'll be back after you see Grandpa, just like at Melvin’s house - I always return after my walks."Surprisingly, Mia let go and followed Vivian upstairs.Sarah walked to the garden, understanding William's concerns. With the online drama about Mia's worsening condition under her care, anyone would have doubts - especially William, who already disliked her.As the moon rose, Zachary approached.Her heart jumped. They hadn't been alone in ages. She glanced behind him, fearing Vivian's appearance like before."She's not coming," Zachary said, reading her mind.Sarah frowned. So he could only talk to her when Vivian wasn't around?"Won't you explain?" Her voice trembled.Zachary's eyes darkened as he reached for her.She steppe
Vivian brought Mia in. "Thank you for coming, Professor Watson.”Having already received Mia's medical records, Professor Watson gestured for her to sit. Mia nervously clasped her hands, face pale, staring at her feet."Relax," Wang said gently.Mia sat and closed her eyes, still gripping her clothes anxiously.Wang tried hypnosis, which Mia was familiar with from Sarah's sessions. She fell asleep quickly but wouldn't answer any questions.He checked her records in disbelief. "This has never happened before.""She's been like this since the kidnapping," Vivian noted, thinking how fragile Mia's mind was.Eager to prove himself, he tried entering her subconscious. When he suggested the sky was red, Mia snapped.Her eyes flew open as she pointed at Professor Watson, screaming. Her cries brought William running.He held Mia protectively. "What's wrong? What did you do to her?"Having seen her episodes before, his heart ached. Everyone tried calming her to impress William, making
Professor Watson was confused, but he nodded. “I am.”“Do you know that Mia’s situation can’t be treated by simply putting her in the same situation?” she asked.Professor Watson’s nerves jumped. He quickly explained, “Miss Sanders, people with psychological trauma often choose this method. I have many years of clinical experience. I understand, although you are just a counselor at the school.”Sarah let out a light laugh. “Mia isn’t dealing with ordinary psychological trauma. She’s already been triggered a second time. If you let her relive these memories, it will only hurt her again.”“I just wanted to help Miss Reynolds. Miss Sanders doesn’t need to attack me. Everyone has their own treatment methods. There’s nothing wrong with trying something new, right?” Professor Watson replied.Sarah didn’t bother to engage further. “Right now, Mia is the priority. I don’t want to continue this conversation with you.”Sarah’s face turned pale with frustration. After finally calming Mia do
Just after talking with Melvin, Sarah saw the news on her phone.Since Vivian returned, the media had frequently reported on her and Zachary, speculating about their relationship. In addition to the rumors, reporters were also following their every move.#Is Zachary Reynolds proposing to Vivian Wilson with a diamond ring?#There were many headlines like this. Sarah’s fingers trembled as she clicked on one of the news articles.In this particular story, the reporter released a video showing Zachary and Vivian walking into a jewelry store. After about ten minutes, they walked out of the store, and Vivian had a gift box in her hand.The reporter then interviewed a store employee, and after confirming the details, it was clear that Zachary and Vivian had bought a diamond together, and that was the same gift box Vivian was holding when they left the store.Sarah silently turned off the screen. Even though she didn’t want to see it, she still noticed the smile on Zachary’s face.Befor
“No! Although the Reynolds family is now tied to the Wilson family, our family would never use the marriage of our descendants to secure the company. No matter what choice you make, I won’t interfere. But there’s one thing—don’t hurt Vivian. I truly treat her like a granddaughter,” William said with a serious expression.Zachary nodded solemnly. He never intended to hurt Vivian.At the Reynolds factory, Vivian and Zachary stood at the door waiting for the head of Vista International. They had just arrived not long ago.Vista International was a multinational group, and it was already a big deal that Zachary had shown up.A luxury car pulled up to the entrance, and a young man in a suit got out. He extended his hand toward Zachary and said politely, “Mr. Reynolds, Miss Wilson, I’m Matthew Robinson, the head of Vista for this visit.”“Mr. Robinson,” Zachary said, shaking his hand courteously.Vivian smiled, “Mr. Robinson, you look younger than both Mr. Reynolds and me.”“Miss Wils
Upon hearing this, Manager Sullivan's face changed, and he glanced at Charlie, standing among the crowd, with a severe look of malice. Charlie, for his part, was clueless about what was happening. He was sure he had sabotaged the machinery effectively, given his years of experience in the factory and his knowledge of the equipment.But why hadn't it worked this time?He looked towards the technician with a puzzled expression, but the technician's confident gaze only increased his panic.After the meeting, Manager Sullivan called Charlie into his office and immediately started berating him as soon as the door was shut. "What happened? Weren't you supposed to have completely destroyed the equipment? Why does the technician say it can still be fixed? What did you do?"Charlie was even more baffled. He reflected on how he had damaged the equipment, unable to figure out what went wrong. "Manager, I was sure I had completely wrecked it. I even checked again after damaging it to ensure it
Before Sarah could speak, Manager Sullivan blurted out, "Miss Sanders, if I catch whoever did this, they won't get away with it!"Mr. Lambert sarcastically interjected, "What if it's a case of the thief crying catch the thief?"Manager Sullivan became defensive, "Mr. Lambert, you should think before you speak! I'm the manager of this factory. Every day the factory is down, I'm the most anxious of all! Are you really accusing me now? Miss Sanders, if you're going to suspect me as well, you might as well have headquarters fire me."Sarah quickly tried to defuse the situation, "Manager Sullivan, what are you talking about? You're the manager of this factory; of course, I trust your commitment to it. It’s just that this situation is serious. The old equipment that was destroyed in the last batch was due for an upgrade anyway, so that wasn’t a loss. But this time, it’s different."She paused before continuing, "This equipment was ordered from Germany by our headquarters half a year ago.
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