MasukMrs. Sanders was genuinely shaken.She had always been meticulous. She never left evidence behind.So how had Melvin found out this time?Her gaze snapped toward Sarah. She suddenly pointed at her, voice sharp and hysterical.“It was you. It had to be you. You deliberately led my son into turning against me. Are you satisfied now? Is this what you wanted?”Sarah looked at the woman in front of her, nearly unrecognizable in her frenzy. What Mrs. Sanders didn’t realize was that the real evidence wasn’t in Sarah’s hands at all.It was already in Melvin’s.Sarah replied calmly, her voice cold and steady.“Auntie, you might as well tell the truth. This isn’t something small that can be brushed aside.”“I didn’t do anything,” Mrs. Sanders shot back. “What exactly do you expect me to say?”Melvin let out a slow breath. He unlocked his phone and opened the screenshots Steven had sent him. He turned the screen toward her.“This is footage from the surveillance camera at Leon’s villa,”
Sarah didn’t say another word.The car was thick with cold silence. She could feel it. Melvin was right on the edge of exploding.She couldn’t tell which was worse.That her cousin knew… or that he didn’t.When the car stopped, even the housekeeper at the old estate looked startled to see Melvin back at this hour. She hurried to notify Mrs. Sanders to come downstairs.Uncle Shawn happened to be watering the plants in the back garden. Mrs. Sanders rushed down the stairs.“Melvin, why are you back so suddenly?”Her smile froze the moment she noticed Sarah standing beside him.There was a flicker of displeasure in her eyes. Every time Melvin came home, Sarah was with him. But she knew better than to show it too clearly. The fastest way to start a fight with her son was to let that resentment slip.Still, when she took in Melvin’s expression, unease crept in.“Why do you look like that?” she asked carefully.“Where’s Dad?” Melvin asked, his voice low.Mrs. Sanders pointed toward
Uncle Shawn didn’t argue again. His silence was as good as agreement.“I think our first step should be pulling more people into this game,” Mrs. Sanders said calmly. “And I think Sarah would make excellent bait.”Uncle Shawn frowned.“That won’t work. The moment she steps onto the board, Melvin will follow. That idiot doesn’t know what spell he’s under. No matter what happens, he insists on standing beside that girl.”Mrs. Sanders shook her head.“That’s exactly why Sarah is the best choice. You’re forgetting who stands behind her. Zachary.”“If he enters the game, we finally have a fighting chance.”This time, Uncle Shawn didn’t object.---At City General Hospital, Steven stood with Sarah outside the ward.“Some of the data is still encrypted. I haven’t fully cracked it yet,” he said quietly. “But there’s something strange. In the surveillance footage outside Leon’s villa, I found someone suspicious.”He paused, then said carefully,“I think it’s Mrs. Sanders. She went into
Lucas put all his work on hold to stay by Mia’s side.Watching Mia obediently open her mouth and eat whatever Lucas fed her, Sarah finally let out a quiet breath of relief.She went next door to Scarlett’s room. The moment Scarlett saw her, her eyes filled with tears and she wrapped Sarah in a tight hug.“Sarah, we’re okay now,” Scarlett said softly.But guilt flooded Sarah’s face. Her eyes slowly reddened.“This is my fault. They were trying to stop me, so they went after the people I care about.”Scarlett pinched her arm lightly, clearly annoyed.“Don’t say that.”“Never punish yourself for someone else’s mistakes,” she said firmly. “You’re the one who taught me that. Have you forgotten already?”Sarah smiled faintly. It was something she had once said to Scarlett herself.“When I saw you tied up in that place…” Sarah’s voice dropped. “I felt like my chest was being crushed. I never want something like that to happen again.”---“He didn’t die?” Mrs. Sanders stared at her h
In the next instant, the sharp blade came down again, plunging toward him.Then he realized there wasn’t just one knife.Countless blades surged at him from every direction. Each one was aimed at the same place. Each one wanted him dead.He fought back desperately, arms raised, body twisting, but it was useless. No matter how he tried to defend himself, the knives seemed locked onto him, homing in without mercy.One by one, they pierced his body.Pain exploded everywhere.A massive face suddenly loomed in front of him, filling his vision.He screamed.Dr. Xavier jolted awake, gasping for air, his chest heaving violently. The sheets were soaked through with sweat.His wife sat up beside him, worry etched across her face. “What’s wrong with you? Our son wanted to come cuddle with you, but when he saw you like this, he got scared.”Dr. Xavier wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue. “Just… a nightmare.”He forced himself to sit up and looked toward his son. “It’s okay.
Instead, Mrs. Sanders looked at Sarah with a measured, probing gaze.“Sarah, who was that on the phone just now?”Sarah smiled politely, the distance unmistakable. “Just an old friend I haven’t heard from in a while.”“Is that so?” Mrs. Sanders’s eyes lingered, clearly evaluating her answer.The more she pressed, the more unsettled Sarah felt. Something about Mrs. Sanders’s behavior was deeply off.She tested the waters. “Auntie, who did you think it was?”Mrs. Sanders laughed lightly. “How would I know?”After a brief pause, she rose. “It’s getting late. I should head back. I can tell we’re not exactly welcome here.” She turned to Quincy. “Quincy, will you come with me? Or would you rather stay and talk with Melvin a bit longer?”Quincy nodded obediently and looked at Melvin. “I hope I didn’t disturb you, Melvin.”Melvin shook his head. “You didn’t.”Mrs. Sanders left.Quincy stayed.As soon as the door closed, Melvin asked quietly, “Who called just now?” He hadn’t missed th







