Chapter 500: Chapter 500

360 words

<html><head></head><body>Sebastian's pupils contracted violently, a brilliant light bursting from their depths. The boulder that had long weighed on his chest shattered into pieces. Evelyn tilted her head slightly, slender fingers pressing against the nape of her neck. "Mr. Valdemar, my cervical spine is bothering me." The man immediately understood, striding toward the sofa. "Evelyn, I'm sorry—" A light cough cut Sebastian off, his pale face growing even more fragile. Evelyn raised a hand to stop him. "No more apologies. But if this happens again, our relationship ends here." "I promise." Sebastian grasped her hand urgently. "I'll tell you anything you want to know." She let him hold her hand but abruptly changed the subject. "We've hit a wall in the investigation." Sebastian's expression darkened. His own investigators had come up empty-handed—this was no coincidence. "There's only one way left to uncover the truth about Melanie's fall."  Their eyes met, both realizing they needed to shift their approach. "Do you know Scarlett?" Evelyn's gaze deepened. "And the Galatea family?" Sebastian studied her serious expression. "I'll find out." Scarlett was indeed the most unusual member of the project team. "Whether she's involved or not, we must proceed carefully." Evelyn spoke rapidly. "Whoever we're up against has powerful connections. We can't afford mistakes."  Sebastian gave a grim nod. Meanwhile, online outrage continued to escalate. The Starlight Initiative was thrust into the spotlight, with even the official A-city account weighing in on the high-profile case. The social media servers crashed three times in a single day. Scarlett paced her bedroom, restless without her electronic devices. "Auntie, just five minutes with my phone, please?"  Seizing the moment while her father was away, she wheedled the housekeeper relentlessly. "Your father will fire me if he finds out..." The woman hesitated. "Just five minutes!" Scarlett blinked tearfully, playing the spoiled child. The housekeeper finally relented, handing over the phone. "Don't let him see you." Scarlett's fingers trembled as she logged in. The trending list blazed with hashtags:  #StarlightInitiativeScandal #ValdemarGroupBloodMoney #ShutDownTheCorporation Her hands turned icy. Each headline stabbed like a knife. "How did things come to this?" Scarlett collapsed to the floor, the phone slipping from her grasp.  </body></html>