Sarah froze, staring at Linda."It was you?" Sarah looked at Linda in disbelief, not wanting to believe it but unable to deny it.Linda glared at her angrily. "You're quite something. Eric's only known you for days, yet he risked missing his own defense to save you. I really underestimated you."Sarah gave a bitter laugh. "I guess I trusted the wrong person. When I thought you were in trouble, I rushed to help without a second thought. Linda, all this because he talked to me a few times?"Linda sneered. "A few times? Is that what you call it? You knew I liked him, yet you still flirted with him right in front of me. You have no idea how much I hate you!""We only discussed our thesis work, nothing else," Sarah frowned."Who would believe that? I saw you two laughing together, and you claim it was just about the thesis?""You can ask him if you don't believe me. But this isn't just about him, is it?" Sarah stared into her eyes.Linda didn't flinch. "Your thesis was brilliant, ev
Linda returned to her hotel room in panic, staying there for a long time before finally gathering the courage to seek out Sarah.Despite their many previous meetings, this was their first truly awkward encounter.She stood in silence, unsure what to say, until Sarah broke the tension. "What do you want?""Did you tell the coordinator...""No, I didn't say it was you. They'll find out anyway," Sarah replied coldly.Linda gave a bitter laugh. "Thank you. I made a mistake.""Linda, we're not friends anymore. If you came for forgiveness, you should leave," Sarah said icily, moving to close the door.Not naming Linda to the coordinator was the last favor Sarah would do for their friendship. From now on, they were strangers."Sarah, please come somewhere with me? Please?" Linda begged.Sarah eyed her suspiciously. "Where?"Linda smiled sadly. "Someone else suggested the idea to me. Don't you want to know who?"Sarah's brows furrowed. "Who?""Follow me and you'll find out."Linda
After examining Linda, the doctor said she had only swallowed some water."Eric, I'm fine now," Linda said weakly, leaning against him.When Sarah stood up, Linda shrunk behind Eric fearfully.Sarah watched with contempt, knowing Linda's performance wasn't just for Eric's benefit.Sure enough, before they could leave the hospital, the competition coordinator rushed in. "What happened?"The coordinator was startled to see Linda in such a weak state.Before Sarah could speak, Linda jumped in. "Don't blame Sarah. I lost my balance, and she accidentally bumped into me."The coordinator caught the implication in her words and looked gravely at Sarah. "Sarah, did you push Linda in?""No," Sarah said firmly.The coordinator turned to Eric. "Tell me what you saw.""I can't say for certain. When I arrived, Linda was already in the water and Sarah was standing nearby. I can't confirm whether Sarah pushed her or not," Eric stated carefully.His response was logical, and Sarah couldn't
Linda wasn't afraid of Sarah - she only feared losing Eric's affection forever."For a psychology researcher, you should really examine your own mental state." Eric's voice was ice-cold as he walked away.Linda sank to the floor. "Eric..."The Decker Committee didn't waste time. They announced Linda's punishment immediately after posting the defense results.When the results went live on the university website, Sarah's name topped the list.She had done it - Sarah Sanders was officially the Decker Competition champion.Her victory made history as the first international winner, stunning both the organizers and the Psychology Research Institute.Jane was thrilled, since she had recommended Sarah.She knew the Knox Institute researchers were already interested in Sarah. They would likely extend an invitation at tomorrow's award ceremony.The ceremony was scheduled for two days later at Saint Nock Hall. Before the ceremony, officials released an announcement."Contestant Linda R
Faced with these harsh questions, Linda looked away in shame.Standing near the hotel entrance, she became increasingly visible to reporters as Sarah approached.Beyond Sarah, the competition winner, Linda had also become a target for journalists. While the Decker Competition had seen its share of sabotage attempts before, those disqualified usually left Saint Nock in shame. Yet Linda remained, even showing up during the award ceremony.Soon, many reporters surrounding Sarah turned their attention to Linda."Miss Ruben, how do you feel about your disqualification?""Did you consider the consequences when you locked Miss Sanders in that bathroom?"Linda backed away in terror, retreating until her back hit the cold wall. She had nowhere else to go.The aggressive questions pierced her ears as she desperately looked for an escape.Sarah had already entered the hotel, and security was blocking the pursuing reporters. Linda seized this moment to slip inside.Catching her breath in
Linda nodded seriously, recalling fragments of memory. The woman had worn a black dress and had a gentle, sophisticated air. She'd offered Linda a drink.She remembered those delicate fingers reaching out, looking especially pale under the glinting glass, and that large blue diamond ring."Oh, and she had a mole behind her right ear.""She wore a blue diamond ring and had a mole behind her right ear. That's all I can remember," Linda strained to recall more."I see," Sarah said quietly.Linda, seeing Sarah's impassive reaction, could only think about the horror of facing court. She couldn't bear the thought of total ruin."Sarah, please, for the sake of our old friendship, let this go. I deeply regret letting my emotions drive me to such a terrible mistake!" She looked up, tears streaming down her face.Sarah couldn't help but remember their first meeting in the hotel restaurant, when Linda had approached with such a bright smile. That memory was still vivid."I'm leaving.""W
Walking under the trees along Riverside Drive, Sarah approached the villa where she once lived with her parents. She hadn't been back since their deaths - there was no one waiting here anymore.She disliked being alone in the empty villa; it only made her feel suffocated.As she pushed open the door, it creaked loudly. Years of dust swirled up like fog, making her cough violently.Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the thick dust floating through the living room. Beyond the layers of grime, she could smell mold and dampness.The heavy beige curtains held echoes of her mother. She remembered countless times rushing into her mother's arms after school, and into her father's embrace when he returned from work.Now it was all gone. She was alone.If her father were still here, she could have cried to him when James asked for divorce. But she couldn't.She made her way to the storage room where her old belongings were kept.In her former bedroom, thick books still sat on the windows
Mia dropped two sugar cubes into her coffee, noting Sarah's pale face. "Sarah, have you really broken up with my brother?"Sarah gave a bitter smile. "Mr. Reynolds and Miss Wilson must be childhood sweethearts. I wish them well.""That's not true!" Mia burst out. "Sarah, please don't misunderstand. There's nothing between my brother and Vivian. He doesn't have feelings for her.""I heard your grandfather is already discussing it with the Wilsons. Vivian told me herself." Sarah recalled her conversation with Vivian and the scene outside the bar.Mia shook her head. "Sarah, Grandfather never said anything about my brother and Vivian. He's always respected my brother's choices. I know he loves you."Sarah smiled cynically. "If your grandfather respects his choices, why would he do those things?"She didn't know what Zachary was hiding, nor did she want to know.When she and Mia were kidnapped, he was chatting happily with Vivian.When she went to the hospital in pain, she saw him
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.
Holding onto the cash, Charlie couldn't stop thinking: if he brought this to the gambling den with Zachary by his side, they could easily multiply it. All he had to do tonight was take one more risk.Before long, it was past midnight—2 a.m. to be exact—when Charlie crept into the factory. Everyone was asleep by then, including the guard out front, slumped over in exhaustion.The workshop was dark and quiet. Spotting the three machines almost immediately, Charlie felt a wave of relief wash over him. He quickly got to work, removing the last screw and prying open the outer shell. With a wrench in hand, he began fiddling inside—until something felt off.He paused.A couple nights ago, he'd gone out of his way to destroy these machines. He'd been shocked when the technician said they could still be repaired, but he brushed it off. Maybe the guy was just good. Maybe tech was just that advanced now.But now he realized—these machines had never been broken.They hadn't been repaired. Th
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