As Charlie played, he remembered the man who had helped him when he was beaten. Could he really win tens of thousands like that man had?The thought intrigued him. If that man could help him, these few thousand might multiply many times over.Some bystanders, seeing his desperate situation, tried to intervene. "Stop, you're about to lose everything. Do you really want to go broke?"Charlie's eyes remained fixed on the cards. "No, I'm going to win! This round is mine!"Focused on the money pile on the table, he gripped his last five hundred dollars and placed one hundred on the small bet. "Small!"People around him goaded him. "The Wesler family is so rich, why bet just a hundred? You bet a thousand at the other table!"Zachary, watching from the sidelines, exchanged a subtle glance with the dealer and added, "At least bet two hundred."Charlie hesitated, then threw down another two hundred. "Fine, two hundred it is!"Unsurprisingly, he lost again.He stared at the remaining th
Charlie was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice much. All he could focus on was how Zachary was his key to winning money at the gambling den. He desperately wanted to be close to Zachary, even longing to call him "bro.""Useless woman! Go cook something for my friend!" Charlie barked.Mrs. Wesler, afraid to argue, hurried to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Zachary and Charlie sat in the yard chatting. Before they could say much, Mr. Lambert arrived with Sarah.Mr. Lambert, a respected senior factory employee, commanded even Charlie's respect, who immediately stood. "Mr. Lambert, Miss Sanders is back?"Mr. Lambert gave him an icy look. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You were supposed to fix the roof during the storm, but I'm guessing you didn't. Get Miss Sanders a new room right now!"Charlie was confused about Sarah's intentions. There were other families in the town; why insist on staying with them?Still, he didn't mind. His previous attempt had failed, but he wasn't g
Charlie suddenly slammed his fork on the table. "You think I'm giving you face by letting you talk this much trash about me? I don't believe this! Every month I give you my salary, and somehow there's not a penny left? Get out all the money you've been hiding right now!"Mrs. Wesler hadn't expected such a violent reaction. She froze, looking to her in-laws for help, but they continued eating without changing expression, as if they were used to such scenes.Sarah took another bite of vegetables, avoiding Zachary's eyes and staring at his hand instead. Those long, well-defined fingers holding the fork hadn't paused despite the argument.Then Charlie slapped his wife hard across the face, knocking her to the floor.Only then did Zachary move to stop Charlie, while Sarah helped Mrs. Wesler up.Mrs. Wesler looked at him in disbelief. "Charlie! You gamble away all our money and then blame me! You hit me! Heaven will punish you for this cruelty!"Charlie felt his forehead pulsing as his
Sarah glanced secretly at Zachary and saw that he looked almost as uncomfortable with Charlie as she felt. This confirmed her suspicion that Charlie must have something Zachary wanted.After dinner, Charlie glared at his wife and Sarah. "Meal's over. Women, clear out now! We men have business to discuss!"Mrs. Wesler hurried away with the dishes, not daring to delay.Sarah gave Zachary a long look before turning to leave.Zachary watched her go, lost in thought. When he turned back, Charlie was leering at him."Bro, what do you think? Like that woman? Need your brother's help? We could knock her out, have your way with her, and she'd be yours for good." Before he could finish, he caught Zachary's ice-cold stare and instinctively fell silent.Charlie quickly laughed it off. "Look at my big mouth! Let's talk business. Bro, could you come with me to the den again? Strange thing about that place - after winning a few thousand my first time, I never won again until you showed up. How
He nudged Zachary's arm. "Bro, honestly, are you from the big city too? I can tell by your manner - you're definitely not from West Ridge."Zachary replied coolly, "I'm from East Coast. My family wanted me to go into business, but I didn't like it, so I ran away.""Bro, consider this your home! Come whenever you want - there's always a hot meal waiting." Charlie said enthusiastically, inwardly excited. This was perfect - if he treated Zachary well, Zachary would help him win money gambling.In East Coast.Vivian strode into the Reynolds Corp building and pushed open Zachary's office door."Why aren't you answering my calls? Why won't you see me?" she demanded, only to find Steven sitting in Zachary's chair.Her face shifted to a light smile. "Isn't this Mr. Miller, the famous chef from St. Ritz? What are you doing in Zachary's office?"Steven spun lazily in the chair, twirling a pen between his fingers. "Miss Wilson, the boss isn't here. I'm handling company affairs for now."
Sarah went to West Ridge? Vivian's face gradually darkened. She thought she now knew where Zachary had gone.At the West Ridge factory, Charlie was called into Manager Sullivan’s office the next morning."Useless! You said she was dead, but she's completely fine! She made me look like a fool, and you had the nerve to disappear? Where were you yesterday?" Manager Sullivan’s eyes narrowed.Charlie cowered. "Yesterday, I... I went to the gambling den.”"Where's the money? You didn't complete the job, and you dare not return my money? Five thousand dollars - I want every cent back!""Manager, I..."Manager Sullivan was so furious he nearly threw his cup to the floor. "Don't tell me you lost it all?"Charlie quickly pulled out the remaining money from his pocket. "Manager, I didn't lose everything! There's still a thousand!"Manager Sullivan took the money and pulled out a knife, tapping Charlie's face with the blade. "People make thoughtless decisions in the heat of the moment. Whi
Mr. Lambert suddenly asked, "Do you notice anything?""The workers are predominantly older," she observed, noting most had gray hair.In most factories, workers were typically young. Rarely did you see older employees.These weren't just in their fifties - most appeared to be in their sixties. The production line also moved considerably slower than standard ones."Over the years, many factory policies have been discontinued, but one remains: this production line dedicated to the elderly. It's still running today. Your father established this rule to ensure they had income," Mr. Lambert explained.He paused before continuing, "I've fought to keep this line operational. I'm telling you this because, while you needn't trust me completely, we can work together. I just want to preserve this line, which Manager Sullivan wants to shut down.""Mr. Lambert, even without cooperation, I would protect this production line. My father was right - if the factory uses West Ridge's land, it shoul
”I can’t leave yet, Melvin," Sarah insisted. "Let me handle this one more time." She wasn't even sure about Zachary's involvement, but seeing him in West Ridge had sent her emotions spiraling.Melvin sighed, well aware of his cousin's stubbornness. "Just keep yourself safe.""I will," Sarah promised before hanging up.By six that evening, as Sarah was leaving work, the Wesler household had erupted into chaos."Give me the money, you useless woman! Didn't you learn anything from last time? Hand it over!" Charlie shouted.Mrs. Wesler collapsed onto the ground, sobbing. "You've gambled away everything! There's nothing left! Search the house yourself if you don't believe me. Kill me if you want – it would be a mercy at this point!"Her voice trembled with tears, but she spoke the truth. Early in their marriage, they'd had enough, but Charlie's gambling addiction had drained them completely. She'd even borrowed from her parents, who now refused to lend more and wouldn't take repayment
She racked her brain trying to figure out where she'd gone wrong to end up in this situation.Before she could think of a solution, the company faced a thorny problem. Her assistant contacted her immediately."Miss Wilson, our shipment at the dock has been detained. By the time I received the news, it had already been held for three days. If we delay any longer, we'll lose a major deal," her assistant said urgently.Vivian had received an excellent education and was being groomed as the Wilson Group's successor, so she naturally wouldn't lose her composure.She calmly asked, "Have you looked into why the shipment was detained?"The assistant hesitated, "I heard that your fiancé, Mr. Reynolds, personally reported that shipment.""That's impossible!" Vivian's voice rose in pitch, her face filled with disbelief."Did you investigate thoroughly? If this turns out to be false, I won't let you off easily and will sue you for defamation." Vivian couldn't keep her cool, speaking with a h
In the office, Vivian looked with interest at the news on her phone about Harbour Crescent Island and Pine Mist Island. Everything was going exactly as she had expected.Except for one thing. When she first got the original project plan, she had been wondering about a small building near the main hotel. She couldn't figure out what it was for.Only after Pine Mist Island's promotional materials came out did she fully understand the purpose of that small building. In modern society, the exhausting work and complicated relationships of urban life caused people to develop various psychological issues. Many of these weren't even serious enough to be called disorders—they were just negative emotions bottled up inside that needed an outlet.In recent years, people had placed more emphasis on mental health education, with schools conducting various assessment activities.Many emotional release rooms had appeared in East Coast, but Sarah had only visited two or three, and their release meth
Before Zachary could react, tears streamed down Mia's face. "Brother, tell me, is everything I read true? The Wilson factory explosion, the fake medicine, the murders to silence people! How did Mom really die?"For the first time, Zachary looked at Mia helplessly. Since she was very young, he had always protected her well, making her feel like she lived in a fairy tale. But even the most innocent person must eventually face harsh reality.This time, he sighed and said, "It's exactly as you saw."Mia couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened, her nose reddened, as she looked at him in confusion. "It was the Wilson family? Grandpa Wilson was involved?"After saying this, endless hatred erupted in Mia's eyes. Her crimson gaze seemed to drip blood. "I'll kill him!"She turned to leave, but Zachary immediately lunged forward and grabbed her. "Mia! You can't go!"Mia's strength reached its peak in that moment. She desperately tried to break free from Zachary's grip. "Let me go! Why are you
Mia explained somewhat bashfully, "Sarah, ever since you and my brother broke up, I've never seen him smile again. Every night when I go downstairs for water, I see him standing on the balcony looking miserable. I always ask what's wrong, but he never tells me. Until one day when he came home drunk, muttering your name."She paused before continuing, "Sarah, I know you were disappointed when my brother got engaged to Vivian. I still don't know why that happened. From what I can tell, you're the only one he's ever loved. I know you're both hurting, so I came up with this idea to create a chance for you to be alone together. But I never thought things would turn out like this. I'm sorry, Sarah. This isn't my brother's fault—please don't blame him."Sarah thought for a moment before saying, "Mia, can you help me with something?"Mia nodded eagerly. "What do you want me to do, Sarah?"Sarah motioned her closer and whispered something in her ear. After listening, Mia nodded solemnly.In
Seeing him helped Sarah gradually calm down. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was, but quickly remembered the photo in the study, accompanied by another headache."Zachary, what's the story with that photo in your study?" Sarah rubbed her head while staring intently at the man whose face briefly showed panic. She wouldn't give him any chance to back away."What are you talking about? What photo?" Zachary reached for a teacup. "Are you thirsty? You just woke up—have some water to soothe your throat."Sarah frowned, looking straight at Zachary. "I'm not thirsty. Don't change the subject! What's the deal with that photo?"Right—the photo.Just then, Mia timidly approached, wringing her hands nervously."Mia, how are you feeling?" Sarah asked with concern, shifting her attention.Mia said guiltily, "Sarah, I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have tricked you."When Sarah showed concern for her despite just waking up, Mia's guilt peaked. She hadn't expected Sa
She stared hard at this single photo, trying to uncover something more, but the longer she looked, the more her head ached. The pain felt like something tearing apart inside her, making her want to punch the wall.Meanwhile, in Mia's room, Zachary held both of Mia's hands while his eyes anxiously watched the door. Half an hour had passed—why hadn't Sarah returned?Mia continued struggling, her eyes also darting toward the door, quickly lowering her gaze to hide her concern from him.Zachary took a deep breath, released his grip, and said flatly, “Cut the act.”Mia fell silent immediately. She wasn't sure how her brother had figured it out, but she could only close her mouth sheepishly. "Zach, I—""Say no more. I'm going to check on her." Zachary couldn't wait another moment. He stood up and left.Mia followed right behind him. "I'm coming with you."When Zachary pushed open the study door, he saw Sarah collapsed on the floor. He instantly panicked and ran to her. "Sasa! Sasa, are
Zachary couldn't quite identify what he was feeling. He calmly signaled the housekeeper to fetch the reports.Sarah carefully opened the door and peeked at Mia hiding in the corner. She also took in the mess on the floor.It seemed Mia was experiencing severe emotional swings. Sarah couldn't use an aggressive treatment approach.Mia spotted Sarah.She blinked, then suddenly burst into tears and started reaching for more breakable items in the room.Sarah rushed in without concern for her own safety. First, she called out firmly, "Mia, stop!"Zachary followed her inside, instinctively positioning himself to Sarah's right, ready to protect her if anything unexpected happened.Seeing this, Mia secretly smiled to herself, more determined than ever to play matchmaker.In her excitement, she set her sights on a waist-high vase.Sarah's attention was completely focused on her. Following Mia's gaze, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately spoke to her with gentle authority, "Mia, no.
Zachary was unhappy with her tone, as if his sister had some incurable disease.Due to his good upbringing and manners, Zachary didn't lose his temper. He simply asked the housekeeper to see the doctor out, his face showing clear displeasure.This was already the fourth psychologist today. All of them were professor-level professionals for whom writing books was a minor achievement.The nanny specifically assigned to care for Mia also had tears in her eyes as she stared at the closed door with endless worry. "Mr. Reynolds, Mia hasn't eaten a single bite since this morning. We can't go on like this."Zachary irritably pinched the bridge of his nose and coldly ordered, "Aren't there still some candidates on our list? Send people to bring all of them here."The nanny bit her lip and gathered her courage to suggest, "Mr. Reynolds, I don't think bringing more experts will help. Why not ask Miss Sanders to try?"Zachary turned to look at her, his expressionless face making the nanny los
Mrs. Chancer anxiously watched Charlotte lying unconscious on the bed, barely hearing anything the hospital director was saying.James had regained his composure after learning that Charlotte was currently stable. He politely responded to the director, "Thank you. Please don't let us keep you from your duties."After speaking, he glanced at the housekeeper.The housekeeper instinctively stepped forward and extended his right hand courteously. "Director, please, let me escort you back."Mrs. Chancer sat on the stool that James had pulled over, staring at Charlotte's pale face with lingering fear, unable to look away for a long time.It wasn't that she truly cared for Charlotte; she was simply afraid of losing her chance to hold her first grandchild.James placed his hand on her shoulder and gently urged, "Mom, you've had a shock. Charlotte is fine now. Why don't you go home and rest?"Mrs. Chancer was still somewhat angry with him. "I'm not leaving. What if you leave the moment I'