MasukMia seemed to sense Vivian’s hesitation. She put on an innocent look and said, “I just wanted to tell you something I discovered. Sarah isn’t really Sarah.”Her brow knit. She looked as if she were about to cry. If this had been the old Vivian, she might have believed Mia was confused. But Vivian already knew about Mandy, the woman beside Zachary.Maybe Zachary and the others had not told Mia about the plan. Mia was still young and had not been involved in this kind of scheme.“What do you mean?” Mia pretended to be curious, then stopped talking. She slipped her arm through Vivian’s and lowered her voice. “I’m afraid my brother will see me talking to you. They never listen to me.”Vivian finally believed her and followed Mia out of the hall into the small garden.Once they were inside the garden, Mia let go of Vivian’s arm. “I noticed something strange about Sarah,” she said. “At school, she couldn’t explain psychological concepts at all. That does not make sense.”Vivian’s face
Vivian knew exactly what Henry meant, and the anger she had been holding back finally burst out. “If you came here just to laugh at me, then go back to wherever you came from. Don’t hang around trying to make yourself feel important.”Henry froze for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing so hard that tears filled his eyes.Seeing Vivian fuming and ready to walk away, he finally stopped laughing, wiped his tears, and said slowly, “Vivian, think about where you are right now. Look around this hall. Does anyone here even bother to acknowledge you anymore? Even Leon is only using you for his own gain.”His tone softened, almost gentle. “Come on, Vivian. We share the same blood. At the end of the day, we’re family.”Vivian looked at his smug, hypocritical face and felt her stomach turn.She could barely hold back her disgust. Pushing him away, she said coldly, “Don’t come any closer, Henry. You make me sick.”“You really don’t listen, do you?” His eyes narrowed, the friendliness
Vivian still didn’t understand. She frowned in anger. “I don’t believe you!”Melvin’s eyes stayed cold. “Then go ahead and try. But the price you’ll pay will be steep.”“What price?” she demanded, drawing a sharp breath.He gave a scornful laugh. “Whatever you still have… That’s your price.”With that, he took Quincy’s hand and walked away. He didn’t want to deal with Vivian any longer. The woman who once only disgusted him now made his skin crawl.Long after they left, Vivian stood frozen, her thoughts spinning. ‘What do I even have left? Grandpa? The little house? The Wilson Group?’These days, no one cared about Wilson Group except Henry.She wasn’t afraid of paying a price—she was just determined. Even if Wilson Group couldn’t be saved, she would never let it fall into Henry’s hands. And if it collapsed while she was in charge, she would never be able to face her grandfather when he woke up.Vivian sighed heavily, her mind in turmoil, not noticing that someone she despised
“Since when did Miss Sachs and Mr. Sanders get involved?” she exclaimed, feigning surprise. “Oh, that’s right—I remember hearing that Mr. Sanders’s mother was getting impatient and brought Miss Sachs over for a blind date. So… are you two seeing each other now?”Quincy’s cheeks flushed pink, but she gathered her courage and met Vivian’s gaze. “Miss Wilson, Mr. Sanders and I are just friends. Please don’t spread baseless rumors.”She didn’t really mind what people thought, but she wasn’t sure if Melvin did.Vivian hid her mockery behind a polite smile, then turned to Melvin. “Mr. Sanders, I have something to discuss with you. Could Miss Sachs excuse us for a moment?”Quincy didn’t move. She looked straight at Melvin. Vivian had no right to dismiss her.“Whatever you have to say, just say it,” Melvin replied coolly. “Quincy isn’t an outsider.”Quincy’s face burned even redder. She didn’t even dare look at him.Vivian’s expression darkened. She let out a cold laugh. “Even if what I
Melvin didn’t join the dance floor. He stood quietly off to the side, a tall glass in hand.Beside him was Quincy, who rarely attended social events like this. She’d always preferred her quiet, structured life at the hospital, far from the chaos of family politics. But tonight was different—Melvin would be here, and that was reason enough.She nervously accepted two glasses of wine from a passing waiter and offered one to him, pretending to sound casual. “So Miss Sanders has returned, huh?”Melvin followed her gaze. Across the room, Mandy’s steps were unsteady, her expression distracted.“That’s not her,” he said simply.There was something about Quincy that disarmed him—perhaps it was her sincerity, or the calmness she carried. Whatever it was, he found himself trusting her instinctively.Quincy blinked in confusion. From her angle, both women—one beside Leon, one dancing with Zachary—looked exactly the same. She had assumed Sarah Sanders had come back, but apparently not.Stil
Steven’s eyes went glassy when he heard her words.For so long, the burden of revenge had been his alone—heavy, suffocating, endless.He pulled Scarlett into his arms, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe, as if he wanted to fuse her into his very bones.“Scarlett,” he whispered hoarsely, “I really, really love you.”Her cheeks flushed pink. Thankfully, they were standing in a quiet corner where no one could see.Not far away, Sarah couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.The faint sound made Leon glance over, puzzled. “What’s so funny?”Sarah quickly looked away and shook her head. “Nothing. Just thought of something.”“I would’ve expected you to be terrified,” Leon said, his tone laced with mockery. “Pretending to be Sarah Sanders—aren’t you afraid of being exposed? But here you are, smiling. Seems your nerves are stronger than I thought.”“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sarah replied coolly, not even bothering to meet his eyes.In truth, she had simpl







