Seraphina Sutton sized up Tina Wallace, her tone hostile.

"I’ll pay you to do something for me."

Tina Wallace took a check from her purse and pushed it across the table. "Ruin Wren Wynter for me."

Seraphina Sutton glanced at the amount on the check and laughed, the sound sharp and grating.

"Ruin her? You think this little bit of money is enough to make me do your dirty work again?"

"Then what do you want?" Tina Wallace frowned.

Seraphina Sutton slowly approached, leaning in close to Tina Wallace’s ear. Her breath was warm, but the words she spoke made Tina’s blood run cold.

"What I want... is everything you have."

The next second, a cold dagger plunged into Tina Wallace’s heart.

Tina Wallace’s eyes widened. She stared at Seraphina Sutton in disbelief as her body slowly collapsed.

Seraphina Sutton wiped the blood from the dagger. Gazing at the cooling body on the floor, a strange smile spread across her face. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

She took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, is this Hawthorne Plastic Surgery Hospital? I need to schedule a full facial surgery. The photo... I’ve already sent it to your email."

The photo in the email was of Tina Wallace.

---

「A few days later.」

Wren Wynter reached out to Kaden Xavier, confirming that their collaboration would continue.

"My senior colleague was too impulsive before. We’ll proceed with the project according to the contract." Wren Wynter’s tone was calm and strictly professional.

Kaden Xavier’s heart ached as he looked at the faint scars still visible on her arm.

"I failed to protect you."

"It’s not your fault." Wren Wynter shook her head. "Let’s just talk about the project."

The two were in the office discussing the details when the door suddenly burst open.

Mr. and Mrs. Wallace rushed in, looking as though they were dressed for a funeral. The moment they saw Kaden Xavier, they lunged at him, wailing inconsolably.

"Kaden Xavier! You murderer! You give me back my daughter!" Mr. Wallace shrieked, looking completely crazed.

"You drove our Tina to her death! We’ll make you pay with your life!" Mrs. Wallace screamed through her tears.

Kaden Xavier and Wren Wynter were both stunned.

’Tina Wallace is dead?’

Assistant Lynch immediately called security to have the couple escorted out.

Just then, a timid voice came from the doorway.

"Dad, Mom, what are you doing?"

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw "Tina Wallace" standing in the doorway. Her face was pale and her expression was haggard, but it was undeniably her.

Mr. and Mrs. Wallace were dumbfounded. "Tina... Tina? You’re not dead?"

"I just wanted to be alone for a few days to reflect on my mistakes." "Tina Wallace" walked in, first shaking her head at her parents, then turning to Kaden Xavier and Wren Wynter. She gave them a deep bow.

"Brother Kaden, Miss Wynter, I’m so sorry. I was immature before, blinded by jealousy, and I did many things to hurt you. I know now that I was wrong. Please, forgive me."

Her attitude was sincere and her eyes were clear. It was as if she had been completely reborn, a stark contrast to the arrogant, domineering Tina Wallace of the past.

Kaden Xavier frowned but said nothing.

Wren Wynter, however, felt that something was off.

’How could a person change so drastically?’

She carefully studied the Tina Wallace before her. The woman’s facial features and figure were the same as Wren remembered, but the feeling... the aura that emanated from her very core was completely different.

"Since this was all a misunderstanding, you may leave now." Kaden Xavier dismissed them.

The Wallaces left dejectedly.

Quiet returned to the office.

"Do you think she’s normal?" Wren Wynter asked softly.

"Not at all."

Kaden Xavier’s reply was blunt. "But I can’t find any holes in her act for now."

They exchanged a look, each seeing the gravity of the situation reflected in the other’s eyes.

After their discussion concluded, Wren Wynter left with her senior colleagues.

As she walked out of the office, Wren Wynter felt a cold, malicious gaze fixed on her back, like a venomous snake coiling around her.

She whipped her head around.

The hallway was empty. There was nothing there.

As Wren Wynter and her colleagues left the Xavier Group, the cold gaze followed her like a shadow. It wasn’t until she was in her car with the engine running that the prickling sensation on her back finally began to fade.

She glanced in her rearview mirror. Xavier Tower stood tall and imposing in the sunlight, like a silent beast.

There was nothing.

’Maybe I’m just being paranoid.’

She shook her head and drove back to View Gardens.

「At the end of the workday.」

She saw Tina Wallace again.

She was standing quietly by the gate, holding an exquisitely wrapped gift box. She wore a simple, cream-colored dress, her long hair draped smoothly over her shoulders. With a faint smile on her face, she looked gentle and harmless.

If you didn’t know about her past actions, you would mistake her for the sensible, well-behaved girl next door.

Wren Wynter brought the car to a stop but didn’t get out immediately.

She sat in the driver’s seat, quietly observing the woman outside.

The woman had clearly seen her car, and the smile on her face widened slightly. She didn’t approach right away, instead waiting patiently where she stood, her posture deferential.

Wren Wynter took a deep breath, opened the door, and got out.

"Miss Wynter, you’re back."

Tina Wallace came forward to greet her, her voice soft and tinged with a cautious eagerness to please. "I hope I’m not bothering you. I just wanted... to come and apologize."

She held out the gift box. "This is just a small token of my sincerity. I hope you’ll accept it. I was so immature before, blinded by jealousy. I did so many things to hurt you and said so many awful things."

"I’ve spent the last few days at home reflecting, and I truly know I was wrong."

Her eyes were clear and her tone was sincere. Every word was delivered perfectly, as if she had rehearsed the lines a thousand times.

Wren Wynter didn’t take the gift box. She simply looked at her, her gaze calm and unreadable.

"That’s very thoughtful of you, Miss Wallace. As for the past, let’s just let it go."

"No, we can’t just let it go."

Tina Wallace stubbornly shook her head, the rims of her eyes turning red. "When you do something wrong, you have to apologize. That’s what my parents taught me."

"Miss Wynter, I know you might not believe me, and you probably think I’m just putting on an act, but I swear, I am being sincere."

She paused, as if summoning a great deal of courage, then continued, "Tomorrow is my birthday, and I’m having a party at my house."

"Could I... could I invite you to come? Please, just think of it as... giving me a chance to make it up to you, okay? I’ll formally apologize to you in front of all my friends."

Wren Wynter’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

’A birthday party? A public apology?’

’Isn’t this act a little over the top?’

She looked at the face before her, identical to Tina Wallace’s, yet she couldn’t connect this person with the arrogant, domineering woman she remembered—the one whose eyes were always filled with contempt and calculation.

The person before her was humble and gentle, possessing even a hint of pitiable fragility.

This stark contrast was, in itself, the most potent warning sign.

"I appreciate the kind offer, Miss Wallace, but I won’t be attending the birthday party. I’m not fond of lively gatherings."

Wren Wynter’s tone was distant yet polite.