"I don't think I know you that well." Wendy said. trying to walk past him.

"Have dinner with me, and we'll get to know each other." Charles blocked her path again, like he knew she'd try to dodge him. "I heard you and Ethan are divorced."

He lowered his head slightly. "Can I pursue you now?"

Wendy paused, something coming to mind. "Were the flowers from you?"

"What flowers?" Charles' face was a perfect mask of confusion, not a hint of anything unusual.

Wendy stared at him, trying to read his expression, but she couldn't.

"If you want me to send you flowers, just say so. What kind do you like?Roses? Tulips? Or maybe sunflowers?"

Wendy felt uneasy around him, especially with that predatory look in his eyes.

Charles was a notorious playboy with a messy personal life.

From married women to female students, he never missed his mark once he set his sights on someone.

Every time they met, he was always surrounded by women of various styles and figures.

She remembered once having dinner with Ethan and his friends,with Charles sitting next to her.

Whether intentional or accidental, Charles had touched her thigh.giving

her a feeling as if a venomous snake was coiling around her, making her extremely uncomfortable.

But he always appeared to be a gentleman. making her doubt if she had misjudged hím.

He was adept at swvitching between innocence and lechery, almost like he had a split personality.

But without any evidence. Wendy couldn't be completely sure it was him.

She frowned and walked arouand Charles without another word.

She didn't notice Charles staring at her back, his mask of innocence and integrity slipping away, replaced by a dark, almost sinister amusement.

Ethan really did dump Wendy, and it happened even faster than he had imagined.

Thinking of Wendy's full, curvy figure and long, straight legs, he couldn't help but lick his lips.

It was already late when Wendy got home.

Maybe it was because of that creepy card, but a sense of unease crept back into her heart.

Since receiving the card, no more flowers had arrived.

Everything had been calm.

If she hadn't torn up the card herself, Wendy might have thought she was hallucinating from overwork.

Feeling a bit hungry, she made herself a bowl of spaghetti.

Just as she was about to wash the dishes, all the lights in her house suddenly went out. plunging her into darkness.

She didn't even have time to dry her hands. She hurried back to the dining room.fumbled around the table, found her phone. and turned on the flashlight.

The suffocating tension slowly eased from her throat.

A power outage?

Wendy looked out the window. The lights in the other buildings of her complex were still on.

She called the property management. The staff. unfazed,said. "It must be a tripped breaker. It's been cold lately, and the power usage is high. Our complex's wiring is a bit old and prone to tripping. I'll send someone over to restore your power right away."

The flashlight's beam was too weak, and the darkness seemed to be crawling with unseen things.

She kept shining the light around, each minute of waiting feeling excruciatingly long.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Wendy decided to check the breaker room herself.

The streetlights felt safer to her than the pitch-black interior of her home.

She held the phone and walked to the door. Just as she opened it, a chill ran down her spine.

It felt like a cold snake slithering up her spine.

Wendy reflexively slammed the door shut.

Cold sweat broke out on her back as she stood behind the door,clutching her phone tightly.

She couldn't tell if the chill was from the cold air outside or something else.

After a while, someone knocked on the door. Wendy didn't open it immediately. She mustered her courage and slowly walked to the door.peeking through the peephole.

The person outside was wearing an electrician's uniform but had a hat on.obscuring their face.

"Hi, I'm from the property management. It looks like you might have an overdue bill. Can you open the door and give me your electric card?"

Wendy had just moved in recently and had never encountered this situation before.

The Knight Villa complex was old, still using traditional electric meters that required a card to store power.

But she had just topped up her card last week, so it shouldn't be overdue so soon.

Wendy tried to stay calm. 'Maybe I'm overthinking it. I'll call the property management again.'

She called them, and the staff said, "We've already sent someone to check.Is the power still out? Hold on, I'll make another call to hurry them up."

Wendy waited in the dark for a while. Ten minutes later, the lights in her house came back on.

She looked through the peephole again. but the person outside was gone.

Was that man really from the property management?

Her tense body finally relaxed. and Wendy slumped into a chair.wondering if she was overreacting.

Maybe it really was just an electrical issue.

After all. it was an old neighborhood with a complex network of water and power lines. Power outages had happened two or three times over the years,which was quite normal.

She sighed. grabbed her pajamas. and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Meanwhile, at The Collins Villa.

Ethan was swamped with work for the Collins Group and stayed late at the office.

Sarah stormed into the house, fuming, and saw Juniper and Lydia watching TV together.

She marched over and plopped down on the couch, her face red with anger.

"Mom,you won't believe what happened at the hospital today!"

Sarah couldn't wait to vent about what had happened in the cafeteria."That Wendy is getting more and more arrogant."

Juniper frowned. "What happened? How dare that bitch treat you like that?

Sarah's anger grew as she recounted the story. "She's cozying up to Chris from the Turner family. Now that she has him backing her, she doesn't respect me at all. She even claimed she got her job on her own merits. It's ridiculous."

Lydia listened quietly, a calculating look in her eyes.

When Sarah finished, Lydia asked softly, "Are you sure she's involved with the Turner family?"

"Of course! Chris even stood up for her, saying I couldn't bully Wendy."Sarah gritted her teeth. "I don't know wwhat tricks she used to make Chris so protective of her."

Lydia thought for a moment and made a few phone calls.

Afterward, she turned to the two women with a grim expression. "I found out that she's not just a janitor at Blue Ridge Medical Center; she's an intern doctor."

Sarah's eyes widened in shock. "What? She's an intern doctor? How did that useless college dropout get into Blue Ridge Medical Center? Does this mean I'll have to see that tramp at the hospital all the time?"

It had taken a lot of money and resources from Ethan to get Sarah into Blue Ridge Medical Center.

Wendy had neither money nor skills. How did she get in?

Lydia smiled slightly at Sarah's furious expression. "Sarah, don't get worked up. 'This is actually quite simple."

Sarah grabbed Lydia's arm. "Lydia, you have to help me. I can't stand seeing that tramp again. I'll never be able to swallow this anger."

Lydia patted her hand and whispered a few words in her ear.

Sarah was initially shocked, then her eyes lit up with excitement.

She hugged Lydia's arm and shook it. "Lydia, you're brilliant. I'll take care of it right away. Just wait for my good news."

She turned and left.

Lydia watched her go, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.