Chapter 45
She turned her head away, trying to escape his touch.
“Hold still,” his deep voice commanded softly.
Sarah tensed up, her voice awkward. “Mr. Reynolds, I can do it myself…”
“Almost done,” Zachary continued, clearly not intending to stop as he focused on gathering her hair.
Her hair was thick and heavy in his hands, silky black and smooth to touch. The sea breeze carried its fresh scent to him.
From his angle, he could clearly see her elegant swan–like neck, its graceful lines strangely enticing.
His eyes darkened slightly as he swallowed, quickly looking away after securing the final loop of the hair tie.
“Done.”
“Thank you,” Sarah replied stiffly.
Noticing her tension, Zachary teased unexpectedly, “What’s wrong? Falling for me?”
Sarah froze.
The flutter in her heart just now had been real.
But someone like Zachary was far out of her reach.
First, she was divorced. Second, the Reynolds family’s status and wealth far exceeded the Chancers. Their standards for a
potential daughter–in–law would be exponentially higher – a divorced woman with no connections would never qualify.
Better to kill any feelings before they could grow.
“Mr. Reynolds,” she looked at him directly, deciding on honesty, “I think we should maintain appropriate boundaries. Our only
connection is Mia’s treatment. Beyond that, if you genuinely want to be friends, I’m honored.”
Leaving it at that, she stood and walked toward Steven’s grill, offering to help. 1
Zachary watched her go, raising an eyebrow.
He’d been too hasty, shown his hand too soon.
But no matter there was plenty of time.
After a satisfying beach barbecue, Steven drove everyone home, dropping off Scarlett and Sarah in turn.
Once Sarah had gone inside, Steven teased Zachary. “Boss, you must really be serious about Sarah, huh?”
Zachary sat with his eyes closed, not bothering to look at Steven. “What makes you say that?”
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Chapter 45
Steven grinned. “Last time we planned a beach barbecue, you called it unsanitary and made us go to a restaurant instead.”
Zachary: “…”
11
Perhaps exhausted from the late night, Sarah slept well, completely forgetting the afternoon’s unpleasantness.
Though she woke up later than usual the next day, she still made it to school on time.
But something felt off about the atmosphere.
Sarah frowned, noticing students whispering and staring as they passed. Learning from experience, she immediately pulled out
her phone and opened the university forum.
A highlighted headline at the top caught her eye:
“Beautiful School Counsellor’s Secret Affair Exposed – Ex–Husband’s Heartbreaking Discovery!”
Sarah smiled.
Even now, the Chancers wouldn’t leave her alone. Did they really think she was so helpless?
Clicking through to see the supposed evidence, she felt contempt.
She recognized the scene immediately – photos from when Zachary had picked up Mia and invited her to dinner. Zachary, Mia,
and even his car were heavily pixelated, leaving only her face clearly visible, making it appear like she was on a date with some
man.
They called this evidence?
