She immediately tried to stop the user: "Thank you for the generosity, Boss, but there's really no need to send so many gifts."

The gift animation abruptly stopped, and the randomized username left a brief comment: 【Tuition.】

"Do you want to learn this technique?" Scarlett asked, completely puzzled.

The randomized username didn't reply again.

After concluding the livestream, Scarlett sent a direct message to the account: 【Thank you so much for the generous gifts, Boss! If you genuinely want to learn this technique, I can teach you!】

The system showed the message was instantly read. Within less than two seconds, her phone began to ring.

A jolt of shock went through her, and she quickly answered the call.

But in the next instant, the familiar voice on the other end uttered words that caused her heart to plummet straight to the freezing depths of an abyss.

"Scarlett. It's Sebastian."

Chapter 4

Scarlett frowned, her heart trembling as she recalled her encounter with Sebastian the night before.

The snake had been startled.

Adopting her casual live-streaming tone, she said, "You have the wrong number. I'm not Scarlett, and I don't know..."

Before she could finish, her phone vibrated. Sebastian had sent an image of her home.

It was a wide-angle photograph taken right from inside her living room.

A sudden chill coursed through Scarlett, making her hair stand on end as a cold sweat broke out.

As an elite assassin, her anti-surveillance skills had always been flawless, yet she hadn't noticed a single soul entering her private space...

"What do you want?" Scarlett spoke again, this time dropping the facade and using her natural voice, straining to keep the tremor out of her words.

"Let's meet."

His tone was absolute, leaving no room for argument. Deprived of any real power to resist, Scarlett had no choice but to comply.

He selected a highly private tea room as their meeting place.

The moment they met, he slid an invitation card toward Scarlett.

"I know exactly who wants me dead. I will pay you three times the price. Eliminate him at the gala."

She stared down at the invitation to the charity gala, her voice dropping lower.

"An assassin works solely for money, but I have my own set of rules. I do not slaughter the innocent, and I never turn on a client once a contract is signed."

Sebastian let out a scoff, his expression incredulous. "Then why did you target me? I have never done anything malicious in my life."

Scarlett fixed him with a freezing glare.

"According to the file provided by my client, how many women have you seduced and ruined using your looks and authority? One of those abused girls took her own life by leaping from a building. Does that not count?"

Sebastian froze in place.

"How can you take the rumors spread by tabloids at face value? I haven't even touched a woman in all my life, so whose life did I ruin?"

"On the other hand, consider your client, that billionaire tycoon. He built his empire from scratch by doing the dirty work for a notorious underworld boss. Over the years, he has taken several innocent lives just to seize real estate. Is a man like that innocent?"

"Investigate it thoroughly yourself. The girl who committed suicide belonged to a family drowned in debt. She was sold to that tycoon, but the crime was committed entirely under my name!"

As he spoke, a vein of quiet fury colored his tone. He lowered his eyes, pouring himself a cup of tea to master his rising emotions.

Hearing him directly expose the client's identity, Scarlett didn't offer a denial. She fell silent for a long moment before responding.

"I will verify the facts. If I indeed misjudged the situation, I will accept this contract. As for the price, consider it paid by the man himself."

With those words, she took the invitation and headed straight for the syndicate's local safehouse.

This time, digging beneath the layers of fabricated information, she finally unearthed the unvarnished truth.

What Sebastian had said was entirely accurate.

Learning the reality brought little surprise to Scarlett; she merely typed out a short message and sent it to him.

【The contract is accepted.】

On the night of the gala, Scarlett altered her appearance completely and walked into the grand ballroom precisely on time.

"Welcome to the annual charity auction hosted by the Golden Light Group. Tonight's exquisite pieces have been generously donated by various benefactors, and all proceeds from this evening will go entirely toward assisting impoverished mountain regions..."

Holding a champagne glass, she leaned against a secluded corner, unobtrusively mapping out the entire room.

The host of the event, the billionaire tycoon himself, was stepping onto the stage amidst a thunderous round of applause, a mask of benevolence firmly plastered over his malicious face.

Scarlett had already calculated a distraction to incite chaos within the ballroom. When the moment arrived and glass shattered into the crowd, a stray shard would slice cleanly through his trachea and carotid artery...

As she finalized the plan, two figures caught her attention.

Ethan, dressed in an incredibly expensive designer suit, was taking his seat in the front row right beside Chloe.

The luxury mechanical watch on his wrist caught the light, casting a sharp reflection that pierced her eyes.

Every relaxed smile, every detail of his high-status attire, and every fawning guest approaching him served as a stinging reminder.

A reminder of how deeply he had deceived her, playing her for a fool!

Scarlett tore her gaze away, refusing to look any longer, only to lock eyes with Sebastian as he walked in, flanked by a crowd of elite figures.

Their eyes met for a fleeting second before darting away.

From the moment the auction commenced, Ethan never showed a hint of hesitation, bidding exorbitant amounts on every piece of antique jewelry that caught Chloe's eye.

Before the event had even reached its midpoint, Ethan had already squandered a staggering hundred million.

Even the auctioneer couldn't help but comment, "The young master is truly spending a fortune tonight for the sake of his true love!"

The double entendre hung in the air.

Scarlett had subjected herself to watching this display for so long that she could no longer feel the sting of heartbreak.

Until, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the auctioneer shifted the focus of the crowd.

"And now, our next item happens to be a special donation from the young master himself—a flawless, natural green jade amulet!"

Her heart dropped into a freezing abyss.

That was the token of love she had once given him!

Chapter 5

The host continued into the microphone: "Could you tell us, why did you choose to donate this jade amulet tonight?"

He stepped off the stage as he spoke, handing the microphone over.

Sitting gracefully in his seat, Ethan replied with a smile.

"There's no particular reason. It was never anything with a special meaning to begin with. Being able to bring it out to contribute to a charitable cause can be considered giving it a grander purpose."

With those brief words, the entire hall erupted into applause.

But Scarlett went stiff where she stood, her heart feeling as though it were being dragged into a bottomless abyss.

It turned out the token of love she had given him was nothing more than an object devoid of any special meaning, something that could be casually given away.

Yet, that was a gift from the mentor who had pulled her out from a pile of corpses.

Her mentor had given her a second life, handing her this safety amulet right before his death, telling her that it would keep her safe and sound for the rest of her days.

Scarlett had genuinely held this jade piece in the highest regard, just as she had deeply cherished Ethan.

That was why, when he had once asked her for a 'token that could accompany him for a lifetime,' she had given this amulet to him.

Back then, Scarlett had explicitly told him: "This amulet carries an extraordinary meaning for me. By placing it into your hands, I am committing my entire life to you."

Clearly, Ethan had been so moved by her words at the time that he had shed tears.

Now, however, he treated it like a piece of junk, tossing away the 'lifetime' she had entrusted to him without a second thought.

Scarlett stared fixedly at the stage, regretting for the very first time that she had ever chosen such a man, squandering her remaining scrap of sincerity on him...

Nevertheless, the host's excited voice suddenly shattered the air: "Everyone! The young master has just lit the sky lantern for this jade amulet!"

Scarlett froze for a beat, instinctively casting her gaze over.

She saw Ethan looking toward Sebastian in sheer astonishment, while Sebastian's gaze cut across the crowd, locking directly onto hers from a distance.

Scarlett understood immediately; Sebastian was securing this jade amulet specifically for her. It appeared his investigation into her background had been quite thorough.