“Are you threatening me?” Vivian glared angrily at the man in front of her.The man remained calm and composed. “Not at all. I’m merely reminding you, Miss Wilson, that we’re in this together. If certain things were to come to light, I imagine your reaction would be quite dramatic.”Though furious, Vivian knew this was something Zachary must never find out about.“This is the last time,” she said coolly. “Go back and wait for my instructions.”Zachary had heard enough. He quietly left, not wanting to hear more. But the words stuck in his mind. The last time for what? Waiting for what instructions?Before their conversation ended, he had already slipped away, leaving the rest unanswered.---At the Misty Island Hotel, the morning session of the symposium had just concluded. Sarah was sitting in the restaurant, quietly eating her lunch, when a woman stormed in through the doors, her face twisted with anger. “Sarah! It’s me,” Charlotte said, glaring at her with venom.Sa
Mrs. Chancer remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Lucy continued, her voice breaking with desperation. “Mom, you have to tell James to do something! If nothing else, have someone create a psychological evaluation report like last time. As long as they can prove I have mental health issues, I can be bailed out!” Her sobs grew louder. “Mom, I can’t stay here a single day longer!” Mrs. Chancer sighed deeply, feeling helpless. She had spent the past few days trying to convince James to get Lucy out, but her son had grown unyielding. He hadn’t even come home, let alone answered her calls. She understood that James had made up his mind this time. “I think your brother is determined not to help you this time. And it’s not just him—your grandfather even called specifically to tell us to leave you be.” Lucy stared at her mother in disbelief, clinging to her arm as tears streamed down her face. “Mom! Even if James and Grandpa don’t believe me, you have to! They’ve all been t
Lucy stared fearfully at the two police officers. “What are you doing?” They didn’t answer. Instead, they escorted her out of the police station. Standing at the entrance, she saw Vivian leaning casually against a car door. “Get in,” Vivian said coolly. Once inside the car, it finally hit Lucy—she had been released! She looked at Vivian in disbelief. “Miss Wilson, you really got me out. But I still want to know—how did you do it?” After the incident at the stables, Zachary and Melvin had worked together to put pressure on the Chancer family. That was why James had refused to help her. It must have taken a lot to get her released under Zachary and Melvin’s watchful eyes. Vivian let out a soft laugh, her eyes filled with mockery. “It was simple—I just found a scapegoat.” The smile on Vivian’s face sent a chill down Lucy’s spine, making her shudder involuntarily. “You truly are remarkable, Miss Wilson,” Lucy said awkwardly, forcing a compliment. “Don’t celebr
This was the first time Charlotte had truly let down her guard and revealed her emotions. She was on the verge of collapse, and the hatred in her eyes cut through the façade she had maintained for so long like a sharp arrow. Lucy smiled in satisfaction. “Don’t worry. Sarah’s greatest enemy isn’t us. From the very beginning, we’ve been standing on her side.” Charlotte’s gaze sharpened as she processed Lucy’s words. A glimmer of realization crossed her eyes. “You mean her? Now that’s a perfect ally.” “But before that, there’s something else I need to take care of,” Lucy said, her eyes dark with malice. ---At 6 p.m., James returned home after work, unaware that Lucy had been released. Massaging his temples, he braced himself for what awaited inside. He knew Mrs. Chancer would pester him again to help Lucy, and Charlotte would likely still be upset over the ongoing issues with Sarah. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Lucy stormed in, her face twisted in anger. “Jame
Charlotte leaned against James’s shoulder, a satisfied smile on her face as she glanced at Lucy. ---On the weekend, Sarah had the day off. She made a simple breakfast—toast and eggs—but before she could take a bite, a loud knock interrupted her. Hurrying to the door, she opened it to see Scarlett standing there, her eyes red and swollen. Scarlett rushed in and immediately broke down, hugging Sarah tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably. “Sasa…” Scarlett’s voice trembled, clearly shaken by something serious. Sarah gently patted her back. “What happened, Scarlett? Take a deep breath and tell me.” After a long pause, Lindsey finally stood up, tears streaming down her face. “Sarah, my dad—he was in a car accident.” “What? How is Uncle Larson? Is he at the hospital?” Sarah asked anxiously. “My dad’s okay,” Scarlett said through her sniffles. “But his car crashed into another one. While my dad’s fine, the person in the other car hit their head on the airbag and now has n
“Sasa, you’re the best,” Scarlett finally stopped crying, her voice trembling with gratitude. Sarah handed her a tissue to wipe her tears. “Uncle Larson has always been kind to me. I can’t just sit by and let something happen to him.” ---Early the next morning, Sarah got up with an uneasy feeling, as if everything was destined to go wrong. She bumped her hand against the table, leaving a large bruise. Then, during breakfast, she choked on her toast. Sitting on the couch, waiting for Scarlett, her anxiety only grew stronger. Their destination was Luther Estate, a luxurious neighborhood favored by the city’s wealthiest. When they arrived at one of the larger properties, Scarlett got out of the car first, followed by Sarah. Scarlett knocked on the door, but the butler who answered blocked her from entering. “Our young master doesn’t wish to see you,” he said curtly. Sarah stepped forward. “Scarlett, you can head back now. I’ll handle this.” Without hesitation, she f
Inside the villa, the moment Sarah saw the men rushing toward her, she realized with a sinking heart—she’d walked straight into a trap.She knew Scarlett too well; Scarlett couldn’t have known about this.“What do you want?” Sarah demanded, her voice sharp and commanding.“What do you think?” Mr. Luther sneered, his smirk full of malice.With a glance, he signaled the men to surround Sarah, then stepped out of the room, leaving her alone with them.Desperately, Sarah scanned the room and found a small fruit knife. Clutching it tightly, she fought back, slashing at the men who lunged at her. The room echoed with groans of pain as some of them recoiled from her strikes, and Sarah darted around, trying to keep out of their reach. Despite the chaos, her sharp ears picked up snippets of a conversation outside the door. It was a woman’s voice—familiar but chillingly out of place.“Why aren’t you going in?” the woman asked.“That woman’s married,” a man replied casually. “I don’t tou
Mr. Luther clicked his tongue in mock disapproval, reaching out to grab Scarlett’s chin, only for her to slap his hand away. His sly, narrow eyes gleamed with amusement, and his voice carried an unsettling, slippery charm. “You’ve already said it, haven’t you? It’s all for Sarah. You worked so hard to bring her here. I thought you’d have the sense to walk away quietly, but you barged in instead.” “What did you do to her? Where is Sarah?” Scarlett demanded, her voice sharp with fury. Mr. Luther’s smirk vanished. His eyes darkened as he leaned in closer, his tone icy. “I suggest you pretend none of this ever happened. Turn around, walk out the door, and I’ll make sure the feud between the Luther family and the Larson family disappears.” “You think I’d sacrifice Sarah just to save the Larson family?” Scarlett shot back, her voice trembling with rage. “Before I saw your disgusting true colors, I might’ve selfishly thought curing you could benefit my family. But now? You make me
“When are you leaving?” Zachary asked.“Once everything’s settled. Maybe in a few days,” Sarah replied.After the police took Mr. Sullivan away, Mrs. Sanders tried to pull some strings to save him — but Melvin stepped in and stopped her.Mr. Lambert immediately started making changes at the factory. He came up with new rules and methods. One of the first things he did was drag out all the sheets from the factory manager’s office — the very sheets that had been haunting everyone like some kind of curse.Right in front of everyone, he set them on fire.In just moments, all the shadows and bad memories that had plagued the factory for so long were burned away — completely gone.Meanwhile, in the heart of the bustling city, the Wilson Group’s skyscraper towered like a giant, casting its long shadow over the people below. Sometimes, passersby would look up, their imaginations running wild, dreaming of wealth and power far beyond their reach.Just then, a white Porsche pulled up smoot
“But I already gave you the evidence yesterday! If you go to East Coast now and never come back, what am I supposed to do?” Charlie asked anxiously.Of course, what he was really worried about wasn’t Sarah — what terrified him was the people behind that factory. If any of those people were still alive, and they found out he was the one who spilled the truth, there was no telling what they might do to him.“You’ve got risk it to get it,” Zachary said calmly. “I already told you I’d pay you. I’m not the type to go back on my word. Did you forget how I took you to the gambling and helped you win money? And you’re still worried I’ll cheat you?”“Zac, it’s not that I don’t trust you — you’re the one person I trust most in this world. It’s just that things are getting dangerous. If I can’t get the money soon and get out of here, I might be the next dead man,” Charlie said, his voice trembling.But just then, a cold female voice cut in.“Charlie, after everything you’ve done, where exact
“Zachary?”Sarah didn’t push him away. She just found his behavior today strangely out of character.She had never seen Zachary like this before. Even when she thought back to everything that had happened between them, the only time she had ever seen him truly broken was at the cemetery. He had stood there, dressed in a black suit, in front of his mother’s tombstone. The black-and-white photo on the grave was somber and still, while the sorrow hidden in Zachary’s eyes felt endless.Mr. Lambert had mentioned to her earlier that he’d seen Zachary and Charlie together today. Could it be... Zachary already knew the truth?What kind of terrible, heartbreaking truth could possibly leave a man like him looking this devastated?“Did you… find out something?” Sarah asked him softly.Zachary buried his head against her shoulder, giving a low, muffled reply. When he had been at the factory, listening to the things Charlie said, he had forced himself to stay calm, keeping up the image of a r
He tried with all his might to hide the concern in his voice. Showing it would lead to endless consequences.Charlie thought for a long time before answering, "I'm not entirely sure. On the day of the explosion, that woman from the Reynolds apparently had a car accident. But you know, in a place like West Ridge, the chance of having a car accident is maybe one in a thousand. This isn't a big city with busy traffic. You can barely see any cars on most roads, let alone one hitting someone. Yet strangely, she really did have an accident."Zachary lowered his eyes. He didn't want to hear any more.This was the very reason he never even got to see her one last time."Bro, now that we've found the truth, when can I get my share of the money?" Charlie looked at Zachary excitedly, already silently fantasizing about what he would do with the money.But to his surprise, when Zachary looked up again, his eyes were ice-cold. "You're lying."The calm tone with which he spoke these words mad
"I have no choice. Why are you two acting so high and mighty? Before things went wrong, you were all making money hand over fist. Now you're pointing fingers. Every factory in Westridge operates this way. If the authorities hadn't started investigating, would anyone want to stop?" The supervisor's voice was sharp with frustration.The senior pharmacist replied coolly, "We can stop now. The final batch has already been sold. We won't lose much on the remaining stock. Even if they investigate, they won't find anything."The supervisor's voice quivered. "That's nonsense. If only it were that simple. That woman from the Reynolds family is relentless. Have you forgotten how many investigators she's sent here? But soon, she'll be out of our way.""Enough about that. The factory cannot close! I absolutely refuse to agree!"Hearing footsteps approaching, Charlie bolted. When he reached the director's office, he found it empty.Back at his workstation, something felt wrong. Glancing outsid
Zachary had reviewed the official investigation report from that year.The report stated that explosive materials were found in the materials room on the third floor, brought in accidentally by a supervisor. Large amounts of helium were also discovered in that room, several times more than in other areas.Yet Charlie hadn't mentioned the third floor at all. Instead, he had brought Zachary to the second floor. Either this was the true explosion site, or Charlie was deliberately hiding something.This room had significantly more burn damage than other areas. The workshop was almost completely destroyed, with debris and remnants everywhere. It was impossible to tell what had once been here—just an empty workspace surrounded by areas that still smelled of burning.Zachary's flashlight illuminated the entire room. Charlie had already tried to turn on the power, but without success."The factory's wiring has really deteriorated. Nothing works," Charlie complained.Zachary shook his hea
This factory, sealed for nearly ten years, finally revealed its former glory to the people of the East Coast. Charlie confidently led Zachary through the valley. When they reached the innermost part of the mountain range, Zachary followed Charlie's lead and stopped.Weeds had completely covered the area. Charlie efficiently tore away the ivy that had grown over everything, revealing a rust-covered iron door.Time had left its mark on the iron door; the rust flaked off at the slightest touch. In the middle was a chain with a padlock. Charlie casually picked up a stone and smashed it hard against the lock. With a dull thud, the lock fell to the ground.The factory from ten years ago differed greatly from modern ones. It lacked sophisticated security measures, since all the equipment inside was too heavy to steal anyway.They stood before the massive iron door. Zachary reached out to touch the cold metal. "How do you know about this place?"Charlie looked solemnly at the valley befor
When Charlie heard the words "Wilson Factory explosion," he froze, his face showing a complex mix of emotions."Who are you?" he asked warily.Zachary displayed a hunger for money. "Don't be nervous. I'm just a private investigator. By coincidence, I got this big job—find the truth and get paid.""Who's the client?" Charlie's face was full of suspicion.Zachary suddenly gave him a cold look, his tone full of warning. "Charlie, in this business, many things are confidential when it comes to clients. We take the money and do the job, never asking too many questions."Seeing how serious Zachary was, Charlie began to accept that he might really be a private detective."Charlie, this is a genuine two million. Aren't you tempted? If I didn't think you knew a lot about what happened back then, I wouldn't even consider sharing this with you. If we succeed, that's two million—one million each."Charlie's heart trembled at these words. One million! How could he not be tempted?With that
"I-I'm telling you, this is in the town, not up in the remote hills. If you try to beat me up, bystanders definitely won't just stand by and watch," he stammered, trying to intimidate Zachary while his hand secretly reached for the door bolt."Relax. I didn't come to beat you today. I'm just curious—why are you so fixated on her?" Zachary asked calmly, fishing for information.He had already made up his mind before coming. If Charlie truly had a grievance with Sarah, he would find a way to send her away. Even if she ended up hating him, that would be better than leaving her in danger.When Charlie heard that Zachary wasn't there to beat him, he immediately relaxed, though his body language remained wary as he kept his eyes fixed on Zachary.Zachary had already figured out Charlie's personality. He knew that unless he revealed some information first, Charlie would never willingly explain his motives for kidnapping Sarah."Sarah is my ex-girlfriend. Our breakup wasn't what I wanted,