The journalists in attendance captured every word, their cameras flashing incessantly. As Mrs. Chancer glared at Sarah, the cameras turned to her, waiting for a dramatic statement.But before she could speak, a figure stepped in front of Sarah. With just a sweeping glance, Zachary Reynolds made the encroaching reporters retreat, their recording devices lowered in trepidation. His expression was dark, his gaze icy, and his restrained anger was palpable.“You’re mistaken,” Zachary’s voice was sharp, cutting through the tension. “The man in that video wasn’t there for Sarah. He was sent by Lucy to harass her. The conversation in the clip made that very clear. Do you take everyone here for fools?”James’s face fell. Though the video had only played for a few seconds before it was cut off, a snippet of dialogue had revealed the man blaming Lucy for orchestrating the incident against Sarah.Mrs. Chancer, however, was beyond reason. “Of course you’re defending Sarah!” she shouted hysteric
Lucy regained her composure from her anger. "This video shows someone harassing me unsuccessfully - I'm the real victim here!"She quickly changed the narrative, casting herself as the victim, hoping to gain sympathy.Sarah understood her intention but chose not to expose her in front of so many reporters.Since there was nothing left for her here, she had no interest in listening to whatever Lucy and the Chancer family would say next.She scanned the room and finally found her target - Jane Lawrence.Jane stood elegantly in her formal dress, sipping champagne and watching the events unfold with a slight smile, as if the chaos had nothing to do with her.Sarah walked over, with Zachary following. Mia waved him on playfully, "Go on, Zac, keep Sarah company. I'm enjoying the show here!"Sarah approached Jane directly, extending her hand. "Ms. Lawrence, hello."Jane looked puzzled but took Sarah's offered hand. "Hello, and you are?"“Sarah Sanders. I’m a counselor at Adams Univer
Jane smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "To be honest, I haven't judged competitions in a long time, and I won't be in the country much longer.""Your theories have always been a guiding light for Adams' psychology students," Sarah said earnestly. "I know you've declined international competitions, but I'd like you to look at these."She pulled out a stack of papers from her bag and handed them to Jane. "These are papers students wrote based on your theories. Some have proposed new ideas. We'd love your feedback."Jane took the papers with surprise, flipping through them. "Thank you, I'll review them carefully."Sarah felt relieved. Though she wasn't completely confident about getting Jane's agreement, at least she could get the students' papers to her.As she turned to leave, Jane called after her. "What's your take on tonight's events, Miss Sanders?"Sarah pointed uncertainly at the drama on stage. "You mean that?""What else could I mean? I must say, you handled
Sarah explained softly, "It's useless. They can't afford to offend the Chancer family. Following their instructions for news coverage means a big paycheck. Going against them risks getting fired. Which would you choose?"She'd understood this when the reporters started asking questions. That's why she stopped paying attention after Lucy changed the subject - tomorrow, people would only know what Lucy wanted them to know."What?!" Mia hugged Sarah's arm unhappily. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have watched the drama. I should have gone with you to invite Dr. Lawrence. Did she agree?""She basically declined. Her time is precious, but I did give her the students' papers about her theories to review." That was at least something positive.Mia looked at Sarah worriedly. "Are you sad? What about the school leaders?""It's fine. I tried my best and extended the invitation. That's what matters." Sarah patted her head.She never saw rejection as a bad thing. Besides, she could run a great co
Sarah struggled with multiple shopping bags in her hands, finally out of room to carry any more. “Give me a hand,” she said, looking over at Zachary.Before she knew it, the weight in her hands vanished. Zachary had taken all the bags and was already heading toward the elevator with them. He carried the load effortlessly, as if it weighed nothing.“Mr. Reynolds, let me take some of those!” Sarah protested, reaching to grab a few back.Zachary shifted slightly, evading her attempt. “I’ve got it.”“They’re too much for one person,” she insisted, reaching again.“Just get in the elevator,” Zachary said, cutting off further argument.Sarah stepped inside, but when Zachary tried to enter, the width of the bags got stuck in the doorway. She quickly reached out to adjust them, just as the elevator doors began to close.With a furrowed brow, Zachary moved swiftly, grabbing her shoulder to pull her in with him before the doors could shut. In the tight space, she ended up pressed against
"Alright," Sarah said, walking over immediately.Scarlett tossed her a carefully selected outfit and grumbled, “That scumbag! You’d better never see him again. The nerve to accuse you of cheating during your marriage!”“I feel like I’m finally seeing him for who he really is,” Sarah replied, her gaze hardening.Sure enough, Sarah's hunch was correct. The next day’s news didn’t mention anything about the birthday party. Instead, it only briefly touched on Lucy’s harassment incident, conveniently skipping over the rest.When Sarah arrived at school, she couldn’t find her phone anywhere.Just as she was about to go searching for it, Professor Wells appeared. “Sarah! I can’t believe you really managed to invite Jane Lawrence! Did you meet her already?”“What?” Sarah was baffled. “Professor, I saw her yesterday, but I didn’t get a definite answer!”Professor Wells frowned deeply. “How can that be? I called you this morning, and you told me yourself!”Impossible. Her phone had been m
Sarah had a few suspects in mind. Lucy and Mrs. Chancer hated her the most, and while James seemed unlikely to stoop to such levels, she couldn’t rule him out completely. He had proven capable of shattering her past impressions of him.After the chaos at the party, Lucy had taken the day off and stayed home. Without hesitation, Sarah decided to head to the Chancer house.The maid who opened the door looked startled to see her, likely because Lucy and Mrs. Chancer had been bad-mouthing Sarah nonstop at home.“Miss Sanders, what brings you here?” the maid asked.“I’m here to see James,” Sarah replied directly.“Mr. Chancer isn’t home. Perhaps you can come back another day,” the maid suggested.A soft voice floated out from inside. “Who is it?”Charlotte appeared and froze for a moment when she saw Sarah. Unsure of how to react, she let out an awkward laugh. “Oh, it’s you. What brings you here?”“I don’t have time for small talk,” Sarah said bluntly. “I lost my phone at the party
“You—!” Lucy raised her hand in anger, ready to strike.Sarah took a step back, her tone calm but firm. “I’d think twice if I were you. Last time, I let you off the hook and didn’t call the police. If you dare lay a hand on me now, I’ll settle both old and new scores with you.”Lucy hesitated, her hand hovering mid-air, before finally lowering it. “The Chancer family does not welcome you!”Bang!The door slammed shut in Sarah’s face. She glanced at it briefly before turning to leave.Her next stop was to replace her lost phone. After getting a new SIM card and purchasing a new device, she immediately checked the school forum. The chaos sparked by that phone call was evident. The psychology students, practically fans of Jane Lawrence, were already planning to print banners to welcome her.Sarah tried calling Jane’s assistant again, only to receive the same response: “She doesn’t have time.”Even the academic papers she had submitted to Jane seemed to have vanished into thin air,
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
Charlie pulled her close. "When have I not thought about you? Anyway, I've got things to do tomorrow. I'll come see you again later." He got dressed as the woman watched him reluctantly. Just as he opened the door to leave, another woman suddenly appeared in front of him."Molly, I've come—Oh? What are you doing here? Isn't this Mr. Wesley? What are you doing at Molly's house in the middle of the night instead of sleeping at home?"She saw Charlie adjusting his clothes and knew exactly what had been going on."Cut the crap, I'm leaving now. If anyone finds out about today, you're done for," Charlie snapped.The woman wasn't intimidated. She dramatically fell to her knees, crying out loud, "Oh dear! Everyone come and see how this man is threatening me, saying he'll kill me! He's not sleeping at his home in the middle of the night but is here at Molly's—who knows what they were up to? Now that I've caught him, he's not retreating but threatening me instead! Everyone come over and jud
Back at the Wesley place, Charlie shut the front door with a meaningful smirk as his parents had already gone to bed. He cleared the dining table and retreated to his room. Alone, his thoughts turned to what he imagined would happen between Zachary and Sarah, and he couldn't help but snicker to himself. This time, he felt he had finally done Zachary a favor by orchestrating the situation. After this, he was sure Zachary would owe him one, especially in his gambling endeavors.Once something happened between Sarah and Zachary, Charlie thought he would have significant leverage over Sarah—she wouldn't dare cross him, not even in front of the factory manager. Yet, the thought of their imminent encounter left him feeling an unexplained emptiness, especially since the woman he usually pushed around had defiantly returned to her mother's house after yesterday's beating. How dare she act differently when every other woman in the town bore their circumstances silently?Why was it acceptable
"Zachary, you're here?" Charlie greeted with a sycophantic tone. Indeed, it was Zachary, who frowned slightly. About twenty minutes ago, Charlie had called him, claiming Sarah was in danger and that he needed to hurry over. Zachary had rushed here as quickly as possible, but now couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Why did Charlie's smile seem so... unsettling?"What's wrong with Miss Sanders?" Zachary asked, his gaze serious.Charlie, sensing he had played his cards right, pointed toward Sarah's room and said meaningfully, "Miss Sanders is in that room. She's in critical condition right now. Hurry, go save her."He even gave an expression that implied men would understand.Zachary's unease grew. He walked into Sarah's room, only to find her lying on the bed, seemingly unconscious."Sasa?" He rushed over, his voice full of concern.From outside the door, Charlie's voice rang out. "Zachary, time is money. I've given you what you wanted. Go ahead and take it."Zachar
The next morning, Charlie handed over the last two thousand dollars he had managed to scrounge from his house to Manager Sullivan. After groveling and pleading, it took quite a while before Sullivan finally decided to let him off the hook.Sarah sat in her office, her eyes fixed on the computer screen displaying an email reply from headquarters. The report about the equipment malfunction had been approved, and the request for new devices granted. The board of directors hadn't opposed it, which came as a surprise.Outside the office, Charlie passed by the door, his mind still reeling from Sullivan's earlier warning."You've got one more chance. Sarah Sanders is sharp. If you fail again, pack your bags and leave!"He clenched his fist, determined not to fail this time.At six in the evening, Sarah was about to leave for the day when, to her surprise, Charlie was waiting outside, calling her over. "Hurry up and eat! My mom made dishes specially for you. I know I messed up last time,