"You are being weirdly proactive today," Chris uttered as he rested his chin on his palms. He was staring at Sera with a weird smile on his face.

"What's wrong with trying to be rich?" Isn't that good? Once she sorted out all the people that were trying to hurt her, she could live a good life. A life of a slacker with expensive computers that had access to every satellite in the world.

"What's weird. I didn't know you can be this active."

"I'm just lazy." And she thought once she stayed away, those people would stop bothering her. However, Chris's words about the Hill Family working with Fu Family are akin to a wake-up call. There is so much more to the story and if she wanted to live, she needed to establish her position.

And the thing is, she is just like a bystander, watching everything without even a hint of interest in knowing the truth. She just wanted to live a peaceful life away from everyone. The truth struck her like a sharp sword.

She is a wicked one. And wicked ones don't just get to live a happy life because they wanted to.

Oh well, the years that she had lived with Cross were actually really peaceful and fun, she would miss that. The thought of Cross made her look at Chris. Even their names aren't that far from each other. Moreover, Cross would disappear for weeks before and showing up just to check on her. They were friends, and she considered him her best friend. Or so she thought.

What if the reason why he saved her in the first place and the reason why he stayed next to her all those years was something else?

What if he was only acting as her guardian or something?

Her gaze lingered on the bracelet that he gave her on her birthday.

It was a beautiful white gold bangle that would go with any clothes. He especially gifted this to her because it matched her white gold wristwatch. He must have thought that she hated wearing gold and would prefer white gold, as it looked like silver. The stones that embellished the bangle looked minimalist but at the same time elegant.

It looked expensive.

She recalled how Cross told her he had to save two months' worth of his salary to buy it. Because of this, she was obligated to wear the bangle every day. Since then, she never once took it off unless she takes a bath.

It had become a part of who she was.

In fact, she really treasured it and used it to remind herself that somehow she still found a friend.

But what if those were all lies?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Chris was smiling at her again. The similarities were definitely there. But Chris's face looked slimmer, smaller. Everything about his features looked smaller than Cross's. The color of their eyes was a bit different, too.

"Nothing." She finally decided to turn her gaze away.

All this suspicion was just distracting her from her real goal. "This one…. Mr. Ramik. He is good with both guns and knives, management, and first aid. I believe this one should suffice."

"Why did you pick the most good-looking one?" Chris asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Ramik is the most good-looking one."

"Is he?" Sera check the other profile again and nodded. "I didn't even notice it." Maybe being around Chris made her immune to attractive people. However, her eyes still naturally choose the most good-looking one. How amusing. "I guess, it's instinct." She turned towards him. "I always prefer good-looking ones."

"How could you say that without a smile on your face?"

Sera rolled her eyes inward and ignored his question. Why would she smile while saying something like that? "Please hire this person. I want him to start working today."

"You have something to do today?"

"Yes," Sera nodded. 'Je'er had been nagging me lately. She wanted me to return. The company isn't really functioning well without their core."

"How could she say that? I invested hundreds of millions to your company!"

Sera only shrugged in response. "I will meet one of the board of directors today."

"You arranged it in advance?"

"You are looking down on me, Mr. Quinn," Sera said. "Of course, I didn't arrange to meet him."

"Huh? If you didn't arrange to meet then…"

"I will 'accidentally' meet him." Sera grabbed her laptop and handbag. "Accidents happen all the time, Mr. Quinn. What are the odds that I would meet some investors today?"

"Ummm… where are you going?" Almost immediately Chris stood up. How could he allow her to leave alone?

"I already have the guard that you assigned to me. He alone is enough."

Chris stood there, flabbergasted. So… does that mean… she no longer needed his help?

"Mr. Quinn, may I say something?"

Chris flinched when he heard Lan Xing's voice. "What the hell? How long have you been standing there?"

"I followed Miss Zhang inside. You just didn't notice me because you were staring at her as if she was the only person in this room."

"You— "

"Sir, may I say something?"

"What is it?"

"Miss Zhang… is not the type of woman that would need your help all the time. I suggest you let her run wild and just save her when she really needed it."

As expected, Lan Xing's words were a wake-up call, something that was enough to ruin his day.

Chris furrowed his brows.

He came back because he thought she needed his help. But what he saw just now was a different type of Sera. She seemed so confident and strong. She was no longer the Sera that only had indifference in her eyes before he left.

"Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Hmmm… except for Miss Hill, causing trouble for Miss Sera? I don't think something else happened."

Then what could have happened?

What's with this sudden change?

Why did Sera… the Sera who seemed disinterested about everything else, became so proactive about the Zhang Company?

It was as if a clap of thunder struck him. "Check it. I want to know if she met someone while I was away. I want to know everything that she did, the people that served her in the restaurant and that hotel. Check."

"Yes, sir!"

.....

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