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Philip "Come on now, let's get you back to your suite," I murmured, putting my arm around Sarah's waist to help her walk steadily. She sobbed uncontrollably, her cries deep and raw, as if she were saying a painful goodbye to her best friends. As I guided her unsteady steps out of the dimly lit bar, my heart ached with remorse at the sight of her suffering. "Shh, don't cry, babe... your pretty eyes will go red and puffy." "It's your fault! You hurt me. Why can't you love me? Why does no one like me?" She cried like a baby while we were in the hallway. Guests and hotel staff looked concerned. "I'm sorry, babe… Come on… I'll take you to your bed," I told her. "No, Philip! Why does everyone hurt me?" I could hear the pain in her voice. Even in her drunken state, she was carrying the weight of the pain I caused her. "Listen, babe… Lying to you that night was the dumbest mistake of my life. But I was weak… I did what I thought I had to. My mother keeps bothering you, and I cou
Sarah When I woke up in my hotel room, my head felt unbearably heavy, like a massive stone weighing it down. I first noticed a large diamond ring on my left hand. Where on earth did I get this extravagant piece of jewelry? "Shit!" I murmured, holding my head as if it might explode. "Amanda!" I called for my nanny. "Amanda…" I repeated, grimacing as a new wave of pain shot through my head. The room spun around me. The door burst open with a loud thud, and my faithful attendant Amanda quickly entered. "Miss!" She rushed to my side, helping me sit up. "God, what happened?" I cried out as the pain became too much to handle. Tears filled my eyes, and I sobbed loudly. There was a knock on the door, and my guard stood outside, wearing dark shades. "M-Miss Sarah, President Cornell has arrived." "What? He's here?" I couldn't believe Philip was at the hotel. Why was he here? "Yes, he brought the doctor who checked on you last night," the guard informed me. I blinked. Why can't I rememb
Sarah I showed the ring to Philip. "And this ring? Hold on, don't tell me you bought this for me?" My eyes widened at the possible scenario playing out in my mind. "Uh, you got that ring from one of the players last night at the casino," Philip explained. I furrowed my brow, still not understanding what he meant. "Sarah, you invited me to the casino after we returned to the hotel. I wanted to call it a night because I felt tired after the incident at the chapel. We came straight here from Highland Hills... I couldn't stop you last night. You were incredibly energetic—like you had downed three energy drinks in a row. "I decided I had to keep an eye on you, so I followed you to the casino floor. And that's where you managed to obtain that ring from another gambler who had lost all her money. Sarah, it cost ten million dollars. According to the player you got it from, it came from an auction. A royal family owned it in the past," Philip explained. "You mean I got this ten-million-d
Sarah Jakob grinned broadly, prompting me to fight the urge to smack my fist into his annoying face. "Sarah, I first met you when you married President Cornell years ago. I watched as your life fell apart, seeing you return to Grandpa Mitchell with eyes void of life and then going back to President Cornell again. You told me you couldn't even summon anger toward him. You loved him deeply. Moreover, despite everything, he loved you too." Part of me wanted to believe that Philip loved me sincerely. But another part stayed cautious, afraid to risk that level of pain and betrayal again if I turned out to be wrong about his feelings. "He wouldn't have let his mother face public scrutiny like that, revealing her crimes and manipulation after all these years, if he didn't still have strong feelings for you deep down," Jakob continued. Silence hung between us as we ate pastries. The thought of marriage to Philip again gave me a headache. Changing the subject, I asked Jakob, "So, what wa
Sarah Jakob and I successfully presented our LoveLogic app to the investors, despite Philip staring directly and intently at me while I was explaining how the app works and the current generation's deep interest in it. Philip's gaze made my insides burn with an inexplicable heat as if he wanted to devour me right there. It felt like his very breath was caressing every fiber of my being. However, I mustered the discipline to ignore him for the time being and focus on the task at hand. We told the investors that our virtual dating app will have a soft launch in major app stores next week, allowing some users an early try. The full-scale release event is planned for next month. Jakob and I emphasized this timing, which works well since Jane will have completed Bronn's non-player character AI by then. After the presentation, Emily approached me looking uneasy. In a hushed tone, she asked, "Sarah, can I please return to my home in Highland Hills tonight?" Concerned, I replied, "Did
Sarah "Philip!" His name escaped my lips in a breathless gasp as waves of ecstasy crashed over me, reaching their crescendo. "Sarah..." Philip spoke in a husky voice, rough with spent passion. Our eyes met, his dark to my molten gray, still charged with the aftershocks tingling through me. But then my stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the intimate silence and shattering the spell between us. My cheeks grew warm as I couldn't help but burst into giggles. Philip's broad smile showed his affection. I curled up on the couch, longing for his smile. He nuzzled against me, peppering tender kisses along my collarbone as his rough palm lovingly stroked my flushed cheek. "Haven't you eaten yet?" he asked me. "I have…” Jakob and I had snacks in my suite, but I grew tired from explaining the presentation. “Anyway, you have a trip tonight too..." Philip took my hand, brushing featherlight kisses across my knuckles. "Are you sure I can't come with you?" I asked. His face turned serious as
Sarah After hearing Josh's news, I couldn't sit still. A whirlwind of thoughts and emotions consumed me. I tried contacting Philip, desperate to ensure he was okay, but I didn't mention that I knew about his plans. I didn't want to worry him. My feelings were in turmoil over what to do. I was exasperated that Philip was doing this outrageous stunt because of me! He should have just asked me to join the race! But I couldn't just act and ruin his plan now. Other people were relying on me as well. I forced myself to ignore Philip while monitoring the stock market… until my group passed by Serenity Pines Estate. I saw the woman again—the one I'd noticed when Jane and I went to Azuré's shop. "Please stop the van!" I commanded the driver. "Miss?" He looked puzzled but complied. He stopped the vehicle at the estate where Philip and I lived. Amanda looked confused. I exited and stared up at the imposing wrought-iron gates. The woman noticed me, her eyes widening in fear before she turned
Sarah Megan's plan of attack was swift and reckless. She lunged at me, hands outstretched towards my neck in an attempt to strangle me. But Josh saw it coming and swiftly intervened, grabbing her wrists and pulling her away. "You're nothing but a hindrance in my life!" Megan shouted, her face contorted with rage. "What do you really have, huh? No matter what you do, Philip will never love you! Never! He pities you because your innocent baby died!" My jaw clenched at her words. Of all the cruel things Megan could have said, mentioning the death of my unborn baby was the worst. Fury boiled inside me as I stepped closer and slapped her hard across the face. Megan trembled with rage, holding her reddened cheek. "Y-you—! I will kill you!" I met her fury with a dark stare until she looked away. Grabbing her chin, I squeezed it. "You still don't get it. The authorities are looking for Madam Cornell because Dr. Smith implicated my mother-in-law. But they don't know yet that you were an ac