Though the trip home from Adams University wasn't far, Sarah felt unusually drained today.Back home, she couldn't even muster the energy to make dinner. Instead, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and curled up on the couch.She felt agitated.For reasons she couldn't quite explain.She knew with certainty that she no longer loved James – if anything, she despised him.But since the divorce, his constant appearances and attempts to challenge her boundaries left her feeling irritated, even nauseated.Nauseated that she'd once been blind enough to fall for such a man.The alcohol slid down her throat to her stomach, gradually numbing her frustration.Suddenly, her phone rang.She pressed answer.“Babe, come out! There's this amazing new bar that just opened on the East Coast!" Sarah thought for a moment before replying, "Send me the location."...Stepping out of the taxi, Sarah stood in the cool breeze, looking up at the bar's neon sign. She couldn't quite make out the Fr
Zachary looked up, and despite the crowded bar, his eyes immediately found Sarah's booth.Several men were closing in on her with obvious ill intent.A flicker of coldness passed through his otherwise composed expression....The commotion at Sarah's table had drawn attention, but no one dared intervene. These thugs were notorious in the area, and nobody wanted trouble.The leader leered at Sarah and Scarlett with a sleazy grin. "Ladies, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Ask around about Scarface's reputation. Stick with me, and you'll be living the good life!"As he spoke, Scarface reached out to touch Sarah's face.Sarah's eyes turned sharp as she seized his thick wrist in her delicate hand.Despite being over six feet tall, Scarface found himself immobilized by pain, his face contorting."You bit—agh! Ow, ow, ow!"He couldn't even finish his insult before howling in pain.Damn, what kind of woman had this strength?"Leave." Sarah didn't want to cause trouble at
The police handled the situation efficiently, and order was quickly restored to the bar.With plenty of witnesses and video evidence, Sarah and Scarlett only needed to give statements and compensate the bar owner for damages before being released.As they left the police station, they saw Steven's car waiting outside. He rolled down the window, waving at them. "Ladies, hop in!"Through the open window, Sarah caught a glimpse of Zachary's refined profile in the backseat. Before she could hesitate, Scarlett pulled her toward the car."Perfect timing! I was worried we wouldn't find a ride this late!"Scarlett dove into the front passenger seat, leaving Sarah to slide into the back.Opening the rear door, Sarah's eyes fell on Zachary's long legs, his expensive suit pants perfectly pressed without a single wrinkle. Her heartbeat quickened for no reason.Unlike their last car ride, upbeat music filled the car, with Scarlett bobbing her head to the rhythm in the front seat, creating a
She turned her head away, trying to escape his touch."Hold still," his deep voice commanded softly.Sarah tensed up, her voice awkward. "Mr. Reynolds, I can do it myself...""Almost done," Zachary continued, clearly not intending to stop as he focused on gathering her hair.Her hair was thick and heavy in his hands, silky black and smooth to touch. The sea breeze carried its fresh scent to him.From his angle, he could clearly see her elegant swan-like neck, its graceful lines strangely enticing.His eyes darkened slightly as he swallowed, quickly looking away after securing the final loop of the hair tie."Done.""Thank you," Sarah replied stiffly.Noticing her tension, Zachary teased unexpectedly, "What's wrong? Falling for me?"Sarah froze.The flutter in her heart just now had been real.But someone like Zachary was far out of her reach.First, she was divorced. Second, the Reynolds family's status and wealth far exceeded the Chancers. Their standards for a potential
Never mind that these photos were taken after her divorce from James - even if they weren't, all they showed was her getting into someone's car. Hardly damning evidence!Unlike last time, students weren't blindly joining in the criticism. While there were plenty of nasty comments, many students were defending her.Sarah scrolled through the comments section."Someone must have it out for Miss Sanders. Why do they keep trying to smear her on the forum? One ambiguous photo proves nothing.""Where there's smoke, there's fire. Why is she the only one getting these accusations?""Forget everything else - can't believe she's already divorced at her age!"...Meanwhile, in the Dean's office at Adams University:"Dean Larson, I've explained everything. Having Sarah as a daughter-in-law was already an embarrassment to the Chancer family. How dare Adams hire someone like her? Aren't you worried about the university's reputation?"Mrs. Chancer sat on the office sofa, sipping tea while im
Sarah collected herself before heading out.At the doorway, she ran into an agitated Mia rushing towards her."Sarah!" Mia's pretty face was flushed with anger. "Did you see the forum? I bet Lucy's behind this again!"She couldn't think of anyone else who'd target Sarah like this.Sarah smiled softly.This girl had really grown on her.She patted Mia's back reassuringly. "Don't worry, I can handle this. You should get to class."Mia was clearly still concerned but, seeing Sarah's confidence and knowing she had an important lecture, reluctantly agreed. "Okay, but promise you'll tell me right away if anything happens."Sarah waved her phone in response, gesturing for Mia to go.Mia kept looking back anxiously as she left.Sarah sighed fondly.Though Zachary had asked her to help with Mia's psychological issues, it felt more like Mia was the one healing her.The Dean's building wasn't far from the Psychology Department. Sarah reached the office in under five minutes."Knock,
"How dare you speak to me like that!" Mrs. Chancer pointed her finger at Sarah's face. "Have you lost your mind?"Sarah gave her a dismissive glance before turning to address the administrators:"I apologize that my personal matters have disrupted your day. I've seen the forum post, but isn't it absurd to condemn someone based on one heavily edited photo?"Sarah spoke with quiet dignity.The Dean and other administrators exchanged uncomfortable glances. They knew the photo proved nothing, but Mrs. Chancer's influence was hard to ignore.Mrs. Chancer sneered at Sarah. "Would I be here without solid evidence?"She pulled out a USB drive, gesturing for the assistant to connect it to the projector. "Let's see how arrogant you'll be after this!"As the projector warmed up, the footage appeared on screen.It was surveillance video, blurry except for Sarah's unusually clear figure. The timestamp showed last year.The footage showed Sarah entering a hotel with a man.Sarah almost lau
When Mrs. Chancer recognized who had arrived, she couldn’t help but feeling nervous. Zachary Reynolds was the East Coast's most powerful heir - not someone the Chancers could afford to offend.She discreetly glanced at the blurry surveillance video, reassuring herself that the man in it was unidentifiable.Perhaps Lucy was right - someone of his status would only be playing with someone like Sarah. How could such a distinguished man seriously consider a divorced woman?This thought calmed her. Her Lucy was well-bred and highly educated, far superior to Sarah. Given the chance, Lucy could definitely secure someone as prestigious as Zachary.Right now, her task was to completely discredit Sarah. Not only did she need to confirm the allegations of infidelity during marriage, but she also had to make Mr. Reynolds distance himself from Sarah. With so many people present and men being concerned about their reputation, Mr. Reynolds was unlikely to step forward to defend Sarah."Sarah pra
Marianne immediately understood, going to the wine cabinet and placing a fine bottle on the table.Vivian smiled. "Grandpa William, see how happy my grandfather is today - he's brought out his precious wine. You know, he bought this at an Italian auction decades before I was born. Once a bottle's gone, it's gone forever."As she spoke, she stood gracefully to open and decant the wine."Zachary's a lucky man. Vivian is beautiful and so refined - she's quite a catch for our family," William said.Old Mr. Wilson kept a straight face. "I entrust my granddaughter to you, you must help guide her. To be blunt, after I'm gone, Wilson Industries will belong to them both.""Grandfather! Don't talk like that. You'll live to be a hundred," Vivian protested playfully.Her grandfather patted her hand. "Yes, yes.""I'm here to discuss the engagement date. Name your terms," William said.Old Mr. Wilson placed a paper before him. "I've had the auspicious dates calculated. The nearest one is Nov
Sarah opened her eyes to look at the kidnapper. "Is this how Vivian told you to treat me?"The kidnapper smiled mockingly. "Miss Wilson didn't say anything specific. Just told me to keep you tied up here, let the rain clear your head."Behind her back, Sarah's hands searched the ground until they found a rock.Feeling its sharp edge, she secretly started rubbing the rope against it, trying to cut through.But the rope was too thick - after nearly thirty minutes, she hadn't even made a nick.As she struggled to continue, the kidnapper showed he'd noticed all along. "You think I can't see what you're doing? Save your strength. You won't be getting any dinner tonight."The sky grew darker. Though Sarah didn't know the exact time, the deep darkness told her it was night.She'd been freezing here for hours. Melvin must know she hadn't come home by now. If he hadn't found her yet, he must be looking in the wrong place.This remote mountain was difficult to access. The kidnapper had p
The downpour wasn't just affecting their mood - it was washing away all traces of evidence.Worse still, lightning had struck the traffic camera at the intersection. They had nothing to go on.Back home, Melvin sat pinching the bridge of his nose, deep in thought.Sydney ventured carefully, “Melvin, since they called about the ransom for tomorrow, why don't we just pay them?""Shut up!" Melvin shot her a cold look. "If it was that simple, we would have found them at the factory. Who is this person? What's their name?"Sydney avoided his eyes. "I... I don't know who they are. Never met them. I only have their phone number.""How did you meet this person?""I... I..." She bit her lip, afraid to speak.Melvin gripped her shoulders. "Tell me! Things have gone this far, and you still won't talk?"Sydney clutched at her clothes. She didn't dare speak - that person would make her death horrible if she talked."Sydney, you've already made a mistake. Do you want to make it worse? Do I
The same thing had happened three years ago. He'd failed to protect her then. This time he'd risk everything - even his life - to make sure history didn't repeat itself.Under Mia's worried gaze, he dialed a number."What are you up to, Vivian?""Working at the office, dealing with factory issues. Been swamped lately. Why the unexpected call, Zachary?"His expression darkened. "Have you heard about Sarah's kidnapping?""Of course. Nothing stays secret in East Coast, especially among prominent families. Every little drama becomes headline news," Vivian said with a mocking edge.Zachary's frown deepened. "You consider a kidnapping 'little drama'?""Come now, it's hardly serious. I heard they want three hundred million. The Sanders family can easily afford that. Melvin won't refuse - not when it's his sister's life at stake."Mia showed Zachary something on her phone. He glanced at it before pressing on, "Money isn't the issue. But why have the kidnappers and Sarah vanished? What'
"After all that, you still haven't said what you really want," Sarah's tone turned icy.Vivian laughed coldly. "Sarah, you still haven't learned. All you can do now is be the fish on the chopping block. Behave yourself, and maybe I'll be generous enough to let you live.""Miss Wilson, you just said yourself - if I die, Zachary will remember me forever. You won't let that happen."The line went silent, and after a long pause, all she heard was the dial tone.The kidnapper took back his phone, glaring at Sarah. “How dare you talked to Miss Wilson like that."On East District Road, Melvin kept his cold gaze fixed on Sydney.Terrified, Sydney kept redialing the number again and again. She'd specifically told them to maintain contact after capturing Sarah, but despite calling dozens of times, she couldn't get through.“Melvin, I... I can't reach them," she said, trembling.Melvin looked at her incredulously. "Why not? Keep trying! We're almost at the factory."Ten minutes later, th
"She? That woman won't know.""Yes, I understand."Sarah spoke up suddenly. "Give me the phone. I want to talk to her."The man hesitated. "Miss, she wants to speak with you."Sarah continued, "I know who you are. You had me kidnapped but you're afraid to talk to me?"Her voice carried clearly through the phone.A soft laugh came from the other end. "Let her speak."The man frowned, holding the phone to Sarah's ear. "Behave yourself."Shivering with cold, Sarah forced her voice to remain steady. "I know who you are, Vivian Wilson. What's all this really about?""Don't stay silent. You have me watched so closely - are you afraid I'll tell Zachary?""You don't need money, so why demand three hundred million from Melvin? Besides the money, what else are you planning?"After a moment of silence, the voice finally responded. "Sarah, I must say you're clever, figuring out it was me so quickly. Or is it just that in all of East Coast, I'm the only one who wants you dead?"Sarah la
"Mom, you'd better stay out of this," Melvin told his mother.Mrs. Sanders looked gravely at her son. Though he always showed her respect, she knew their relationship had long been strained.She stepped aside. "Sydney, Sarah is part of the Sanders family. If anything happens to her, you'll be held responsible. Better to tell the truth now than have it discovered later.""Auntie, you too..."Melvin fixed Sydney with a cold stare. "Sydney, leaking company secrets is a crime, especially stealing confidential files. Do you want to go to jail?"Tears rolled down Sydney's face as she looked at Melvin in anguish. "I'll... I'll tell you."The front door opened again. This time it was Mia, just being dropped off.She walked in to find the three of them in a tense standoff."Melvin, where's Sarah? She should have been home two hours ago after work." Mia asked, puzzled."Mia, Sarah's... she's been kidnapped.""Kidnapped?" Mia's eyes widened.Melvin ignored her, turning back to Sydney.
”Melvin… you're back. I'll... I'll get you some drinks.” Sydney forced herself to stay calm.She grabbed a cup and turned toward the kitchen, but he caught her wrist in an instant.“Melvin, what are you…?”"Where is she?" Melvin's grip tightened until her wrist turned white.Sydney winced, trying to pull free. “Melvin! I don't know what you're talking about! Who's 'she'?""Stop playing dumb. I know you did this. I let it go when you stole the proposal for Wilson Industries, but do you think Sanders Group will forgive such a serious offense? Before I completely lose control, tell me what you've done." Melvin's eyes were cold.Sydney had never seen this frightening side of him before.Trembling, she backed away. “Melvin, you're hurting me. Please let go. I really don't know what you mean.""Melvin, what are you doing?"A deafening thunderclap jolted Melvin. In the flash of lightning, he saw his mother arrive.She rushed over and forced them apart. Sydney immediately hid behind
On the mountain, Sarah regained consciousness feeling sore all over. The cold made her shiver repeatedly.The driver hadn't locked her up - there weren't any buildings here to shelter from the storm anyway.He'd just set up a crude rain shelter and tied her to a tree.She was forced to sit at the tree's base, tightly bound to it with rope.The rain-washed mountain paths were pure mud. She was soaked through.Exposed to the height and fierce storm, she sneezed several times.She tried to break free, but it was impossible.The kidnapper, wrapped head to toe in rain gear, watched her mockingly. "Don't waste your energy."He crouched in front of her, tapping a cold knife against her face. "Ever heard of a hangman's knot?"Sarah didn't answer, still trying to escape."Guess not. Stop struggling. Haven't you noticed the rope gets tighter the more you fight? Keep it up and you'll strangle yourself."Sarah froze in shock, not daring to move.Though there was a rain shelter above, b