Zachary finished the soup. "If you're busy, you don't need to check on me.""I worry when I'm not watching over you," Vivian replied quickly before burying herself back in work.Zachary fell silent, staring out the window.Two days later, in a run-down slum, several men forced open a decrepit door. Inside, a man was playing on a battered computer, cursing furiously at his teammates. He pounded on the keyboard with its missing keys, as if trying to smash it in his rage.Too caught up in the game, he didn't hear them enter until someone roughly yanked off his headphones. Only then did he notice the room full of people.He looked at their leader in panic, trembling as he spoke. "Troy, you said one week! It's only been two days! After a week, I swear I'll have your money."Troy glared at him menacingly, motioning for his men to restrain him.The cigarette wasn't finished, but Troy pulled it from his mouth and pressed it against the man's arm.Before the man could react, he felt sea
At Troy's signal, his men immediately understood. They dragged Dan aside and gave him a brutal beating.After they left, Dan collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, his face and head bloody from the beating.The door was still open when a well-dressed man in a suit walked in, chuckling softly.Dan startled, thinking it was Troy. "Troy, please... Wait, who the hell are you? Get out!"The man smiled faintly. "After that beating, you still haven't learned? I'm here to offer you money. Interested?"Money?Dan sized up the visitor, his eyes fixed on the man's watch. He'd seen it on TV - worth millions, easily enough to clear his debt.His demeanor changed instantly, putting on a fawning smile. "Please, sit down, Sir!”Still covering his bleeding nose, he added, "Let me clean up first."The man found a relatively clean spot to sit, drumming his fingers on the table. "Do something for me. Payment is one million."Dan's eyes widened as he nodded frantically. "Anything, just name it
People began digging up previous incidents, using them to paint Sarah as a villain.While Amy cried on the outside, she was laughing inside. She was close to success! Close to getting that five million.With that money, she and Dan could run away, buy a small house somewhere remote, start a small business, and live peacefully for the rest of their lives.The more she thought about it, the harder she forced herself to cry.Meanwhile in the counseling office, Sarah had to hold Mia back from rushing out."Mia, calm down." Sarah had placed psychological exercises in front of her, prepared earlier to help ease her anxiety.Of course Sarah knew what was happening at the school entrance. Scarlett had already called several times, wanting to rush over and slap Amy, but Sarah had talked her down each time.Under Sarah's guidance, Mia reluctantly focused on her exercises. Sarah stroked her head. "I'll handle this."Mia nodded, not mentioning that she'd already begged her brother to deal
"Never mind if they believe it or not. If we play our parts well, everyone will believe us. The world always sympathizes with the underdog and resents the wealthy. Once we do this, even without proof, her reputation will be ruined," Amy said coldly.The recording fell silent for a moment, with only the rustling of clothes. Some reporters instantly understood what was happening during that gap, though thankfully the recording had been edited to skip over it.Then the man spoke again. "Honey, what about Henry Letito?"Amy replied impatiently, "Who cares about him? He's just a pathetic coward. After I get the money, I'll squeeze more out of him, then leave East Coast for good..."Suddenly, a child's sharp cry came through, and the man blurted out, “My son..."As the recording played, Amy stood frozen in shock. When she heard the child's cry, she snapped back to reality. Before the man in the recording continued, she lunged at Sarah, trying to grab the phone.But Sarah easily stepped
Soon, some reporters turned their attention to Sarah.Just then, a luxury car pulled up at the school gates. A woman with big wavy hair and sunglasses stepped out.Sarah was startled. "Scarlett, why are you here?"Scarlett walked straight through the crowd to stand beside Sarah. She stared directly at Amy and sneered, "If I hadn't come, I would've missed seeing the most shameless woman in the world."Amy snapped as if triggered. "Who are you calling shameless? Sarah's the one who steals married men. She's the shameless homewrecker!""Twisting the truth - I'm impressed by your nerve. You have the gall to call yourself an honest, ordinary person? Do you fit that description at all? Oh wait, I suppose you are quite 'ordinary' looking - and not young either."Scarlett flipped her hair dramatically. The reporters chuckled at her comment, while Amy glared at the newcomer furiously. "Who are you? Why are you butting in? I get it - you're Sarah's friend. You must be just as bad as her."
Faced with this question, Amy hushed him. "Those kinds of powerful people aren't for us to speculate about. In this world, if you want to make money, do more and ask less."Seemingly worried she'd sounded too distant, she quickly added, "Never mind about what those big shots think - how would people like us know? Let's just do our job. Look, this is a hundred thousand! Do you know how much we can buy with this?"Dan ignored her question and pressed on, "But what's that lady's ultimate goal?"This time Amy didn't hold back. "I don't really know all the details. I just know she wants me to insist Sarah's a homewrecker, and she said she'd help with everything else."The video continued with Amy and Dan discussing other private matters, but nothing could match the impact of what had just been revealed.Scarlett turned off her phone screen. "Did everyone record that?"The reporters exchanged glances, looking at Amy with obvious contempt.Amy collapsed to the ground in disbelief. How
Sarah was still thinking about what Scarlett had said earlier. "What's this about Zachary?" she asked quietly.Scarlett looked uncomfortable. "Steven gave me the video and sent me to help you. I made up that part about Mr. Reynolds.”"Made it up? That was bold." Sarah drew in a sharp breath.Scarlett shrugged it off. "Why do you think Steven got this video? Zachary ordered it. Pretty expensive too - cost a million.”Sarah felt confused by all this, but any mention of Zachary made her reluctant to ask more."Sasa, you should have let me come earlier. A good slap is exactly what someone like her needs!" Scarlett fumed.Mia finally noticed something was wrong. "Sarah, what happened? Did that woman cause more trouble?"Scarlett jumped in eagerly. "Mia, you should have seen how cool I was! I gave her a solid slap..."She retold the story with extra flair, leaving Mia wide-eyed."What?! You had all this excitement without me?" Mia pouted."I didn't know Scarlett was coming." Sara
Amy never imagined her vision of love could shatter so violently. She wondered if the Dan she'd loved had never shown his true nature before, making this moment of brutal honesty almost impossible to bear."Dan, how can you say such things? I was with you even before I married Henry. After that incident... I barely recovered, and now you're saying you don't know whose child this is? Why else would I divorce Henry if not to be with you?" Amy's eyes filled with tears.Only those we love most know exactly where to stick the knife to cause the most pain. She couldn't accept Dan speaking to her this way.Dan continued packing, barely paying attention. "You divorced Henry because three years ago he...""Shut up!" Amy screamed. She couldn't believe Dan would be so callous about such a sensitive matter."Face it, Amy. You did all this to get revenge on Henry for what he did. I was just a tool." Dan sneered.Amy clutched her child, choking back tears. "Say what you want about me, but how
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
Charlie felt a chill run down his spine from that single glance. Considering her status, he dared not push any further. "That's all I have to say. The rest is up to you to figure out."He fled the scene, leaving Sarah alone in the room.After washing up, she lay on the bed and checked her emails. Her cousin had sent her updates on the construction progress at Pine Mist Island.Once she finished handling her affairs, Sarah tucked herself under the covers and closed her eyes, trying to sleep, but rest eluded her.Her mind was filled with what Charlie had said about Zachary being injured. He was hurt, and she had no idea how serious the wound was.If it was severe, he would need hospital treatment, which would certainly leave a record and expose his location.If he didn't want his whereabouts known, he would have to treat the injury himself at home.But that wound...Sarah couldn't calm her thoughts. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.Under the bright moonlight, a figu
After the doctor left, Charlie yanked out his IV and clambered off the bed, urging Zachary, "Let's get out of here. This place just drains you dry."Zachary, indifferent since his injuries were feigned, asked, "Your injuries alright?"Charlie, ever so casual about his resilience, boasted, "Ah, I've been roughed up worse before. Just give me a couple of days to rest at home, and I'll be as good as new."With unresolved matters and a longing to see Sarah, Zachary reluctantly set aside his desires. "Then you head back. Call me if you need anything."Charlie, sensing something off, gently tugged at Zachary's suit and noticed his white shirt stained with fresh blood. "Zach, you're hurt!"Zachary's lips were pale, his voice dry. "Yeah.""I'll get the doctor to bandage you up," Charlie said, moving to leave."No need," Zachary stopped him quickly, not wanting to expose his whereabouts by registering at the hospital."What about your wound?""I have a first aid kit at home. It's just
Zachary dragged the unconscious Charlie to the clinic, exacerbating Charlie's injuries as his back scraped against the small stones on the road.When Charlie woke up in the clinic, his howls filled the room. "It's killing me! Where's the doctor? Give me some anesthesia. I'd rather be out cold!"The nurse, irritated by his constant demands, was about to lose her patience when Zachary entered the room. Seeing him, Charlie momentarily forgot his pain and burst into tears. "Bro, did you save me? From now on, you're like a brother to me."Zachary responded indifferently, "Just focus on healing."As the nurse changed Charlie's bandages, she couldn't help but blush at Zachary's rugged, yet undeniably handsome appearance, even slightly disheveled from the fight."Damn it, get out! Are you doing this on purpose, you wretch? Trying to kill me?" Charlie slapped her, swelling her face, as he misunderstood her distracted clumsiness for malice.Zachary frowned, saying nothing. Although he disl
With an agile flip through the air, Zachary caught sight of Charlie sneaking a peek from behind a haystack, his sleazy demeanor perfectly deserving of a beating. The thought of what this scoundrel had done to Sarah intensified Zachary's fury, already heightened by the fierce combat.On the other side, the casino manager watched in rage as his men were effortlessly knocked down by Zachary. Cursing loudly, he shouted, "Damn it, what's the story with this kid?"Seeing some of his underlings still looking for an opportunity to strike, his anger boiled over. "Are you all brainless? Attack him all at once; I refuse to believe he can fight off everyone!"Those still standing and those who had managed to get back up exchanged glances and charged at Zachary with renewed ferocity.Zachary's sharp eyes flashed with disdain. Without moving, his fist met an attacker's face at an extraordinarily tricky angle.The attacker's pained expression froze mid-air, and when he hit the ground, dust flew
Charlie's voice cut off abruptly as he stared in horror behind Zachary, his body beginning to tremble. Before he could speak, the casino manager had already set up a blockade on the road and rushed over with his men, ambushing them from both sides."Charlie, you think you're pretty clever, conniving with outsiders to cheat me out of my money?" the casino manager sneered, twirling an iron rod menacingly.Charlie's legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, stuttering, "Bro, what are you talking about? How could I dare cheat you? I don't have the guts.""Stop lying to me," the manager bellowed, pointing the iron rod toward a visibly unmoved Zachary. "This pretty boy, you've been colluding with him to cheat on my turf. Sick of living, are you?""No, it's all a misunderstanding! We were gambling fair and square, no cheating!" Charlie was terrified, fearing a brutal beating was imminent.The manager scoffed, "You think I'm blind?"Sweat poured down Charlie's forehead as he desperately l
”Come on… Come on…” Charlie leaned over the long table, his eyes crazed as he watched the dealer's movements. The dealer placed his hand over the dice cup, his voice stirring the gamblers, "Any more bets? The odds are thirty to one now." As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man with a scruffy beard shoved most of his chips forward. "Damn it, I'm all in. Worst comes to worst, I'll con some more out of my old lady's funeral fund." Others, eyes reddened, quickly followed suit.Charlie clenched his yellowed teeth, tempted to go all in too. He glanced at Zachary, who had remained calm throughout, and rubbed his hands together with a sycophantic smile. "Bro, should we make a big play too?"Zachary gave him a brief glance. "What's the rush." Charlie had no choice but to curb his eagerness."Here it goes!" The dealer shouted, and the outcome was revealed, triggering moans of despair around them."Did we win? Did we actually win?" Charlie rubbed his eyes in disbelief, his smile wideni