Chapter 242

Sarah's POV

The vibration of my phone buzzed like an annoying bee, persistently interrupting my sleep. I rolled over, pressing the silk pillow against my ear,trying to block out the irritating noise. But the vibration seemed to grow louder.carrying a relentless persistence.

"Damn it, what time is it?" I muttered, eyes still tightly shut. I reached for the nightstand, my fingers touching the cold screen of my phone.Blinking my stll-heavy eyelids. I looked at the screen and immediately felt all drowsiness vanish.

Hundreds of notifications flooded in like a tidal wave. Messages, emails,social media alerts-never had there been so many. My heartbeat accelerated, an inexplicable sense of unease crawling up my spine.Something had happened, and it was definitely not good.

I quickly unlocked my phone, and the first thing I saw was a photo:blurry figures of Philip and me at the entrance of an upscale restaurant.The comments beneath the photo hissed like venomous snakes:

"Look at this homewrecker, brazenly appearing in public."

"Does she know she destroyed a family?"

"This woman is disgusting."

My finger paused on the screen, my throat tightening. I quickly scrolled down, and the comments grew increasingly vicious, some even directly tagging my account. Others had taken snippets from my comic,quoting them out of context to prove my "moral corruption."

"Have these people lost their minds?" I cursed under my breath, a bitter taste in my throat. I got up to pour myself a glass of water, my hand shaking so badly that a few drops spilled onto my nightgown, the cold sensation slightly awakening me.

I continued browsing social media when suddenly, a financial news headline hit me like a punch to the gut:

"Investment Giant Philip Baker Caught in Personal Scandal, Company on Verge of Collapse"

My fingers froze, and I stood there as if struck by lightning. The brief summary beneath the headline mentioned "video of argument with 5-year-old son leaked," "investors withdrawing en masse," and "stock price plummeting 70%."

"Oh God..." I threw the phone onto the sofa as if it had suddenly become scorching hot. This wasn't just an ordinary father-son argument, but a fatal blow to Philip's core competency as a businessman and investor. I could imagine the reaction of those Wall Street investors watching this video-no one would entrust their funds to someone who could be easily manipulated by a 5-year-old child.

The phone rang sharply, piercing the silence of the room.Melissa,my editor. I took a deep breath, trying to make my voice sound calm and natural.

"Good morning,Melissa."

"Sarah," her voice was heavy as lead, "have you seen those comments online?"

"Just saw them," I replied casually, as if it were a trivial matter,"those

people just have too much time on their hands." I gathered my scattered hair, pacing back and forth in the living room, trying to mask my anxiety with movement.

"The problem is far worse than you think," Melissa sighed, "nearly all the pre-orders for our printed books have been canceled."

Those words struck my heart. I stopped in my tracks, my nails unconsciously digging into my palm. "What? That's impossible! Those bookstores can't do this, we have contracts!" The panic in my voice was now undisguisable.

"The bookstores are afraid of boycotts and are canceling orders. Online sales platforms are also receiving numerous complaints," Melissa's explanation felt like cold water poured over my head. "The publishing executives are in an emergency meeting, discussing whether to recall the books that have already been shipped..."

I hung up, feeling a fire burning in my chest. With heavy steps,I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Manhattan's streets. This city once gave me infinite hope, but now it felt like an enormous prison.I clenched my fists tightly, pressing my forehead against the cold glass.Everything I had carefully calculated had collapsed overnight.

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist on the windowsill, pain shooting through my knuckles, yet it couldn't compare to my frustration at having my plans disrupted.

My hand unconsciously moved to my swollen abdomen, this "insurance policy" might now be worthless. I had thought that with my career taking off, I wouldn't need to rely entirely on this child as leverage to control Philip. But now, Philip's assets were likely to shrink significantly, and how much benefit this child I was painstakingly carrying could bring me

remained unknown. Those investors no longer trusted him, how could I count on a man with such poor business judgment to provide the life I wanted?

I turned on the television, switching to the financial channel, hoping to learn more about Philip's company situation. Every channel seemed to be reporting this breaking news-Philip Baker's empire was crumbling.Financial experts predicted his company's stock price might continue to fall,clients were accelerating withdrawals, and the company's liquidity was in peril.

"Damn it. Philip!" I cursed, picking up my phone to dial his number. No answer. I dialed again. Still no answer. I began pacing back and forth,my fingers anxiously fidgeting with my hair. This once-confident investment tycoon was probably now hiding in some corner, afraid to face the harsh reality.

Suddenly,a thought struck me like lightning. I stopped in my tracks,standing in the middle of the living room, as if fixed in place by an invisible force.

Last night... why had Philip accepted me so easily last night? Why had he forgiven all my deceptions so quickly?

The desperation in his eyes as he looked at me then, almost begging me to stay: "You're all I have..."

Now I understood-he already knew his company was about to collapse.He needed an emotional pillar, even an economic one, a woman carrying his child to support his crumbling image and self-esteem.

"He was using me..." This realization made my stomach convulse.I stumbled onto the sofa, an unprecedented sense of humiliation wvashing

over me.

I, Sarah Johnson, the woman who best knew how to manipulate men in Manhattan's social circle, had actually been manipulated. I almost laughed out loud., but the laughter in my throat turned into a bitter sigh.

I had always been the user, never the used.

"This is fucking ridiculous!" I grabbed a cushion and hurled it at the wall,watching it helplessly slide to the floor.

But even as I harbored such resentment toward Philip, the deepest anger in my heart was directed at someone else.

I picked up my phone again, opening the online comic bestseller list. As I had expected. Annie Baker's new work firmly occupied the top spot, the comment section filled with praise and support:

"Annie Baker's work shows true artistic value..."

"An interesting and authentic story..."

"Look at this adorable art style and..."

My fingers tightly gripped the phone, almost crushing the screen. There were even more glaring comparisons:

"Look at the difference between the two, one is a talented artst,the other just relies on men to get ahead..."

I couldn't help but laugh on the sofa, but this laughter sounded like the howl of a wounded beast. Annie Baker.,. this name was like an ineradicable curse in my heart.

Images flashed through my mind: Annie's intimate interactions with

Howard in the park, Annie's satisfied smile while holding Lucy,the undisguised love in Howard's eyes when looking at Annie,. all of which should have belonged to me.

Howard Thompson could have provided me with everything-wealth,status, security. But this woman, seemingly gentle and harmless on the surface but actually shrewd and cunning, had taken him away. Now,she had also taken away my glory in my career.

I got up and walked to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face.The woman in the mirror had sharp eyes, filled with determination.

"She must be manipulating everything behind the scenes," I whispered to the mirror. "Howard has enough influence to help her do all this."

Perhaps Annie had someone leak my relationship with Philip, perhaps she was behind this boycott campaign, perhaps she instructed Brianto argue with Philip and ensured the video was circulated...

Damn that woman!

I felt my heartbeat gradually stabilize. Calm down, Sarah, calm down. You need a new plan.

"Robert..." I softly uttered this name, my fingertips lightly tapping my thigh.

Robert seemed to be doing better recently. He had mentioned a project in collaboration with a major company. Most importantly, Robert still had indelible feelings for me, especially since I had agreed to his remarriage proposal.

This wasn't over yet.

I tidied my hair, picked up my phone, and dialed Robert's number. Taking a deep breath, the moment the call connected, I immediately made my voice carry just the right amount of tearfulness:

"Robert..." my voice trembled slightly, sounding fragile and desperate, "I need your help..."