The man glanced at Vivian and asked, “Seriously? He ditched you to dance with other women, and you’re not even a little mad?”Vivian played along with a smirk. “Not at all.”“Alright, alright.” He took the hint and walked away, not wanting to embarrass himself further.Leon immediately dropped his arm from around her shoulders. “So? How was my performance?”Vivian covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “If you hadn’t said it was acting, I might’ve believed it.”Leon’s smile faded. “If it were Sarah… I think I’d play it even better.”Vivian’s expression darkened. “Of course. Everything always comes back to Sarah.”—The next morning, Wilson Corp released their own announcement: they would be hosting a gourmet Christmas festival and a celebrity concert.Almost immediately, guests who hadn’t been able to book a room at Pine Mist Island started turning to Harbour Crescent instead. Both resorts suddenly became the hottest destinations in town.At the Sanders household, Sarah and Mel
As the crowd swayed on the dance floor, Leon leaned over and said quietly, “You’d better start reaching out to celebrities now. There are only a handful who really draw attention, and Sanders Group already has a head start. If they sign all the big names before we do, we’re screwed.”Vivian immediately set her glass down, took out her phone, and headed to the restroom. She called her assistant and gave detailed instructions. Once she was done, she returned to the bar—only to find Leon gone.She instinctively glanced toward the dance floor.Sure enough, there he was, dancing in the center, shirt halfway unbuttoned and surrounded by women.Vivian leaned against the bar, holding a Long Island iced tea. Her gaze cut through the crowd, locking with Leon’s across the room.Just then, a man stepped up beside her, also holding a Long Island iced tea. He walked over with polished ease and a pleasant smile. “Alone tonight?”Vivian turned curiously, then clinked her glass against his. “I ca
“No,” Sarah said seriously. “What they have isn’t just attention. It’s traffic.”Melvin’s eyes lit up in realization. He chuckled. “Got it.”Soon after, the news spread like wildfire: “Live from the heart of the entertainment district: Pine Mist Island Resort is throwing a massive Christmas gala! Celebrities, fireworks, fan meet-and-greets—you name it. The only way in? Reach a spending threshold at Pine Mist Island. Full details available on Sanders Group’s official channels…”The East Coast went nuts. So did the internet.Under Sanders Group’s announcement, the comments section exploded. The invited celebrity lineup had already been posted, and the offer was irresistible: a completely free party—food, drinks, entertainment, even star interactions.Especially for die-hard fans, it was a dream. People rushed to book rooms and hit the required spending level.Within half an hour, the resort’s front desk was flooded with calls—nearly all of them room reservations.The hype didn’t
Panic flickered in Vivian’s eyes. What she feared most was that her grandfather would give up on her.“Grandpa, please give me one more chance,” she pleaded. “There’s a bidding event in a few days. I’ll win the partnership for Wilson Corp—I promise.”She had made so many mistakes. This was the only way she could redeem herself.“Foolish,” Mr. Wilson snapped, shaking his head in disappointment.“I know I messed up,” she said softly.“But the real problem isn’t just that you acquired Merihan. It’s that you were willing to sell off Wilson Corp’s shares to do it. You clearly don’t understand how unpredictable this world is. Even a small missing percentage can become the one thing that brings you down,” he said, his voice filled with bitter regret.Vivian knew it was serious. What worried Mr. Wilson even more was who had picked up those shares.“Did you look into it? Who bought them?”“I did,” she replied quickly. “I had my assistant check it out during the sale. It looks like they
The Wilson Estate.Mr. Wilson set the tablet down, his expression frozen in disbelief. For the past few days, he’d thought the Wilson family was finally on the rise again. But after reading that email… the whole thing just felt unreal.“Where’s Vivian?” he asked coldly.The butler replied, “Miss Vivian should be at the hotel right now handling some business.”“Call her. Tell her to come back immediately.”“Yes, sir.”—Less than thirty minutes later, Vivian walked through the front door, still trying to figure out what had happened—what could be so urgent that her grandfather needed her home right in the middle of everything?Before she could even say a word, a slap landed hard across her face.Her eyes flew wide in shock. Staring at her furious grandfather, her voice trembled. “Grandpa… why—why are you—?”“Why?” Mr. Wilson snapped, his voice sharp with fury. “You’ve got the nerve to ask me why? Do you even know how many things you’ve done behind my back? You buried the Westr
“Die.”“Just die already!”In the middle of pitch-black nothingness, he jolted awake. There wasn’t a sliver of light around him—he had no idea where he was. The ground felt like a soft sponge underfoot, unstable and slippery. He couldn’t stand upright, stumbling in every direction.He tried to walk forward, hoping to find a way out of the darkness, but there was no path. No direction. Just the sound of wind rushing past his ears.And then—right next to him—someone whispered, fast and sharp. “Go die.”It sounded so real.So real that he collapsed to the ground in panic.“Who’s there? Come out!” he shouted, voice raw and frantic.But all he got back was his own echo, bouncing endlessly in the dark.“Die.”That voice—like a demon’s murmur—kept echoing around him, again and again, right in his ear. He looked around, trying to find the source, but there wasn’t a single shadow in sight.Then suddenly, voices exploded from all directions, overlapping, rising in volume, all repeatin