Charlotte gasped, along with everyone else in the room as they stared at the big screen in shock.While pure amber was certainly precious, it wasn't exactly extraordinary. With careful searching, one could acquire such pieces.It hardly seemed special enough for such an occasion compared to the other items. But that price... it was simply outrageous.After the previous tension, the ballroom finally came alive with chatter, everyone discussing the amber rosary. "Have the Sanders lost their minds? Asking a hundred million for this amber rosary - are they trying to rob us?""Sure, this is a charity auction, and we're happy to donate, but we're not here to be taken for fools!""Exactly! The Sanders must think we're idiots!"James's eyes widened in disbelief. Charlotte feigned concern as she said, "James, a hundred million is excessive. Even Mr. Anderson wouldn't set such a high price."James frowned, struggling to understand how amber beads could command such a price.At the same t
He had really spent a hundred million on the antique rosary. Even with its intricate religious inscriptions, it shouldn't have commanded nearly that price - it was almost double its value.Sarah suspected Mr. Anderson's quick decision was partly due to the earlier incident with the portrait.After the auction ended, dinner was served. Mr. Anderson, who preferred privacy to social gatherings, left early. Vivian kept glaring at Sarah, convinced that the rosary strategy hadn't been Melvin's idea."Miss Sanders, how clever of you. Your auction piece suited Mr. Anderson's taste perfectly," Vivian said coldly.Sarah didn't bother with politeness. "Indeed. Perhaps Miss Wilson could learn something from this."Vivian's knuckles whitened around her silverware as she glared at Sarah. "Miss Sanders, don't celebrate too soon."Impressing Mr. Anderson didn't guarantee securing the property - she still had a chance.Midway through the main course, a man in a dark suit appeared beside Sarah an
After the charity auction ended, Sarah waited at the entrance while Melvin went to get the car from the parking garage.The bright lights at St. Ritz's entrance were almost blinding. Just as she was about to step out, someone called her name.Charlotte stood before Sarah, stroking her belly with a malicious smile. "I'm pregnant. I wonder if you know about this?"Sarah looked at her curiously, slowly approaching Charlotte and reaching toward her stomach. Charlotte jumped back, startled. "What are you doing?"Sarah smiled coldly. "Everyone in East Coast knows you're flaunting your pregnancy, but I'm more interested in the misdeeds you've been trying to hide - ones that I'll eventually expose.""What are you talking about?” Charlotte flinched."Whether it's what happened at the stables or at the Luthers, you think you've found your perfect scapegoat. You believe that carrying James's child means he'll protect you at any cost. But don't forget - the Chancers are nobodies in East Coas
Zachary's gaze remained firm, but he said nothing more.Vivian couldn't accept his coldness. Her expression started to crack, her voice turning shrill. "Why won't you answer my question? Is it because of Sarah? Are you not helping me just to give the Sanders a chance? Zachary, you're such a disappointment. For Sarah's sake, you're willing to jeopardize the partnership between our families?"Zachary remained silent, focusing intently on the road ahead.Back home, Sarah kept thinking about Mr. Anderson's revelation at the auction. What puzzled her was, if what Mr. Anderson said was true, why hadn't any news about Harbor Crescent leaked yet?Not even the smallest rumor had surfaced.Everyone believed Crystal Bay was connected to the new shipping route.So how could she be sure Mr. Anderson's information was reliable?“Melvin, which do you think it is - Crystal Bay or Harbor Crescent?" she suddenly asked.Melvin thought for a moment. "Hard to say. My sources point to Crystal Bay -
Charlotte clutched the edge of the table, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she listened to the cold voice on the other end of the line. “Miss Wilson, you can’t just abandon me like this! What am I supposed to do now? I don’t want to go to prison!” she pleaded, her voice shaking.Vivian's reply was icy. “You don’t want to go to prison? Well, neither does anyone else. Don’t bring this matter to me again, Charlotte. Don’t forget—this entire situation was your doing, not mine. I had no part in it. Instead of wasting time calling me, why don’t you focus on James? You’re carrying his child—he’s not going to let anything happen to you.” Without waiting for a response, Vivian hung up, leaving only the harsh, empty tone of the disconnected call.Charlotte froze, staring at the phone in disbelief. Her chest tightened with panic. Vivian had given up on her, and Charlotte couldn’t blame her. From the start, she had been the one to take action, ensuring Vivian’s name stayed out of everythi
Charlotte felt a surge of joy deep inside. She had been racking her brain for ways to convince James to let her off the hook, but now it seemed Mrs. Chancer would shield her completely.Wiping away a few deliberate tears, she cried out, “Mom, this is all my fault. Please don’t blame James. Lucy ended up in the detention center because of me. Even if you send me to prison, I wouldn’t complain. It’s my mistake.”Mrs. Chancer shook her head firmly and stood protectively in front of Charlotte. “Silly child, why are you saying such things? All you need to do is focus on resting and taking care of yourself. Giving me a healthy grandson is far more important than anything else.”Deep down, Mrs. Chancer was hurting. After all, it was her daughter Lucy who had been thrown under the bus and sent to jail. If it weren’t for the precious grandchild growing in Charlotte’s belly, she would have agreed in an instant to let Charlotte face the consequences and free Lucy.Mrs. Chancer forced hers
Sarah’s gaze lazily swept over Lucy, her tone unhurried as she said, “Lucy, no one knows your situation better than you. Are you really willing to be their scapegoat?”Lucy stared at her in disbelief. “You expect me to believe you’d be so kind?”“Honestly, there’s someone behind both you and Charlotte—Vivian, isn’t it? Look where protecting them has gotten you,” Sarah said with a faint smile.Lucy’s face turned pale, but she remained defiant. “As if being near you would be any better. It’s just jumping from one pit to another.”“I’m not here to waste time with you,” Sarah replied coolly. “I know Charlotte was the one at the Luthers’ villa. I need more details. Tell me everything.”Her icy gaze sent a shiver down Lucy’s spine. After a long internal struggle, Lucy finally spoke up.Maybe Sarah was right—she had gone from one bad situation to another. But that didn’t mean she was willing to keep being someone else’s scapegoat.After spilling everything—how Vivian orchestrated her r
When Lucy thought she had finally encountered someone normal, the person suddenly snatched her utensils and began speaking to the fork as if it were alive, “Don’t worry, buddy. I’m here to save you.”As if possessed, the individual moved from one utensil to the next, speaking to each as if they were old friends.“Crazy,” Lucy muttered under her breath, unable to hold it in.Such behavior wasn’t unusual here.---At dinner, meals were delivered directly by the hospital staff.Lucy sat quietly on her bed, holding a simple bowl of food. Just as the nurse opened the door to bring in her meal, another figure slipped in behind them.Lucy glanced up, and her stomach dropped. It was the same person she’d encountered earlier—the one who had spoken to the utensils. And now, he were standing right in her room.“Get out! Get out of here!” she shouted, her voice trembling. She desperately scanned the room for something, anything, to defend herself, but there was nothing.The meals were pla
Sarah called out weakly, "Zachary!"The Cayenne's windows were shattered, its door deeply dented.The airbags had deployed, pinning Zachary inside."Zachary! Wake up!"After countless calls, Zachary finally opened his eyes and tried to move.Moving in the airbag-filled cabin wasn't easy, and he felt intense pain in his thigh.His voice was hoarse, ”Sasa, I'm okay. Are you?"In that moment, Sarah forgot everything else, her eyes welling up as she looked at him. "I'm fine. How can you get out?""Did you call for help?" Zachary asked.Sarah took out her phone but found no signal. She couldn't make an emergency call."No signal." Her phone had been intermittent on the bridge too.Of the cars chasing her, one had gone over the cliff and the other was flipped. Both must have had signal jammers installed.Sarah looked at Zachary - his upper body was compressed by the airbags, his lower half completely trapped underneath."Get out quickly," Sarah's voice trembled.Zachary forced
Sarah drove forward desperately with the two black cars in close pursuit.Her phone kept ringing, but she didn't dare move to answer it in her current situation. The tires made horrifying sounds as they scraped against the road.Dust kicked up behind them as the pursuing cars seemed bent on a suicide mission, repeatedly trying to ram her. She knew it must be Zachary calling, surely panicked after hearing her earlier words.But with the relentless pursuit behind her, she couldn't let her guard down for even a moment.She had underestimated their determination. At one turn, her mind started to blur and consciousness began to fade. She bit down hard, forcing herself to stay alert.The mountain road was narrow and steep - one slip meant certain death from the fall. With no streetlights in the darkness, it was even more treacherous. The cars behind kept flashing their high beams, making her eyes hurt.In that split second of distraction, one of the cars rammed her hard. The violent im
Lucy sighed. She couldn't believe her mother would say this. Mrs. Chancer saw her determination, but Charlotte was carrying the Chancer family's heir - if she was sentenced, that child would be born with a stigma.Suddenly, Mrs. Chancer knelt before Lucy.I’ll do it!" Lucy said through gritted teeth.She thought she could give up everything for personal gain, but seeing her mother kneel down, she couldn't control herself.After the winter light festival, Sarah felt a strange ache in her heart that she'd never experienced before.She didn't know how to handle her relationship with Zachary. The coldness she'd maintained before seemed to have transformed after the festival into something caught between distance and warmth.She was driving across the city bridge connecting East Coast to Pine Mist Island. The bridge had been neglected for years since the island was abandoned.The bridge took about 10 minutes to cross. She hadn't even left Pine Mist Island when she noticed something
Mrs. Chancer pointed at Sarah's face angrily. "You b*tch! You're doing this on purpose. You know Charlotte is also a victim - it was all Vivian's doing! Why not prosecute her? Are you just picking on the weak?"Sarah scoffed, "Don't you know Vivian was the one who released the evidence against Charlotte? She's really the mastermind, isn't she? You're here confronting me but not her - who's really picking on the weak?""You-!" Mrs. Chancer’s face turned pale with anger. Sarah maintained her composure, looking at her coldly. "Please leave. You're not welcome here."As Mrs. Chancer left, she threatened, "We'll see about this!"In the psychiatric hospital, Lucy had just finished breakfast. After so many days there, she'd started to adjust. She'd lost all hope after her mother's repeated attempts to make her take the blame.She'd even begun to fear visitors, not wanting to hear more cold words from people she once trusted.Yet an hour later, she saw her mother again.She was sitting
Sarah accepted the completed assessment, taking out a red pen to mark it carefully.Soon, she placed another test in front of Zachary, speaking softly, "Answer one question of mine for each math problem you solve."She picked up a timer.Though confused, Zachary nodded hesitantly.Sarah watched him bend over the paper seriously. The test contained standard calculus problems - not particularly difficult, but requiring careful attention to avoid mistakes."Did you have a girlfriend three years ago?" she asked.Zachary's pen trembled - he hadn't expected such a... direct question.After a moment's thought, he replied, "Yes."Sarah watched him complete the first problem, pressed the timer, and recorded the time.As Zachary started the second problem, Sarah spoke again. "Tell me, was your girlfriend Vivian?""No!" he answered firmly."Then did you know me?" she asked next.Zachary wrote the next line and said, "I'm done."He slowly put down his pen, unwilling to continue after
Sarah's expression softened as she looked at James seriously. "Although I did collect evidence of her crimes, she was arrested before I could take it to the police."In other words, Charlotte's arrest had nothing to do with her.James's eyes widened in disbelief.He couldn't believe Sarah wasn't behind the arrest. Then who could it be?"But besides you, who else would have reason to report her? Others wouldn't get involved," James said, frowning.Sarah gave a bitter laugh. "James, don't forget Charlotte has other enemies. Like Vivian, who wants to make her a scapegoat."James finally understood. Of course - Vivian! He remembered what Charlotte had said. Vivian was afraid Sarah would eventually discover her crimes, so she planned to make Charlotte take the blame.James sighed, speaking apologetically to Sarah. "Sarah, what Charlotte did was wrong, and Lucy wronged you too. Now Lucy's in a psychiatric hospital and Charlotte's in jail. For the sake of Charlotte's baby, could you wr
"Charlotte's been arrested, and you're still here trying to convince me to take the blame?" Lucy said angrily.Mrs. Chancer’s face showed embarrassment at being exposed, but she remained firm. "Lucy, given how things have turned out, you need to be more understanding.""If Charlotte wasn't pregnant right now, I would protect you no matter what - you are my biological daughter after all. But the situation is different. She's carrying the Chancer family's only heir, and I must protect that child at all costs. Don't worry, even if you take the blame for her, your brother and I will do everything in our power to get you out."Lucy laughed bitterly. "Mom, you already said all this the last time you visited. Have you forgotten what happened then?"She found it ironic that since her detention and imprisonment, her mother had only visited twice - first to convince her to take the blame, which led to her suicide attempt, and now again with the same request.It had only been days since her
She looked up at Zachary, who sat in front holding her hand. After all this time, they were holding hands again. She couldn't tell if the feeling in her heart was more bitter or sweet. Usually, Sarah would have pulled away without hesitation, but this time, for reasons she couldn't explain, she remained silent.For the first time, she wanted to follow her heart's true desires, just this once. She couldn't deny her feelings for Zachary - how she had hoped he would come find her, hold her hand just like this.His tall figure kept shifting left and right, shielding her from passing pedestrians. He was protecting her.Finally, they reached the riverside, where most couples had gathered to set their lights afloat on the water.Sarah found herself gently pushed to the riverside by the crowd, with Zachary staying close to protect her.She noticed the couples around them writing both their names and wishes on their floating lights, while hers only had her name."Wait a moment!" she sudde
Charlotte's eyes welled up at her mother's words. "Mom, don't say that. James won't abandon me. He'll definitely save me."Even if James wouldn't save her, Mrs. Chancer surely wouldn't abandon her. She touched her stomach - if nothing else, they'd do it for the baby.The evening's peace was shattered when, just as Mrs. Chancer brought soup and Charlotte had barely taken two sips, the police came to take her away."What are you doing!" Mrs. Chancer screamed, grabbing Charlotte's arm.Charlotte hadn't expected this turn of events as she was led to the police car. At the hospital entrance, Mrs. Chancer angrily called James, then William.At Adams University, Sarah had just packed up to leave work when she encountered Zachary at the door. She was about to avoid him when she heard Scarlett's voice."Sasa! Don't go! Come with us to the winter light festival!"Winter Light festival?Sarah suddenly remembered the afternoon's heated discussions on the school forum about the winter light