Right when they were about to reenact a kissing scene, an abrupt disruption shattered the broadcast.

The man who had guaranteed her just over ten minutes ago that he would overcome their bankruptcy violently pushed open the door to the studio and stormed into the frame.

He still wore his cheap clothes, but he carried the undeniable aura of a powerful elite.

He marched over and sat directly between Chloe and the male actor, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

This high-profile declaration of ownership instantly set the chat ablaze and sent the internet’s trending search boards into a frenzy.

【Isn't that the investor of this show, the golden boy of that old-money dynasty? So he's the boyfriend Chloe was talking about before?!】

【Holy crap! A real couple is way sweeter than any forced on-screen romance. Look at how intensely they’re staring at each other~】

Scarlett looked at the comments, finding herself agreeing with them to some extent.

After all, she had witnessed an even more passionate moment between them through her rearview mirror.

Scarlett set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and exited the livestream.

She posted a notice of permanent hiatus on her streaming account and wiped her entire profile clean.

Then she walked out of the private dining room and went into the restroom.

When she emerged, Scarlett had transformed from a long-haired woman in a linen dress into a disguised version of herself with a high ponytail, a baseball jacket, and denim shorts, her face completely altered.

Leaving the restaurant, a black Maybach was already waiting by the curb.

As she pulled open the car door, she cast a glance up at the restaurant's outdoor surveillance camera, her lips curving into a silent, knowing smile.

Making a person vanish completely was just that simple.

From the moment she stepped away from that restaurant, not a single trace of her old identity would remain in this world.

On the other side, after the livestream concluded, a staff member said with a smile.

"Chloe, your romance with the young master has completely blown up the trending searches. Why don't we use this momentum to officially announce it?"

Chloe smiled sweetly and turned to Ethan: "Ethan, why don't we just put out a post together..."

Ethan, however, was knitting his brows, not paying attention to a single word she said.

He had suddenly cooled down, his mind completely flooded with thoughts of Scarlett.

Did she see the trending searches...

Frowning deeply and completely ignoring Chloe, he immediately ran downstairs and hailed a cab to rush back to that restaurant.

The entire way there, Ethan couldn't get through to Scarlett's phone.

The private dining room already hosted a different group of customers, and there was no sign of Scarlett back at the apartment either.

Ethan’s heart was gradually overtaken by a creeping panic, his hands trembling as he held his phone.

He had no choice but to send Scarlett a message: 【Scarlett, did you see the trending searches? Don't believe any of that, I can explain!】

But everything sank like a stone into the ocean.

Looking around the rented apartment where everything remained completely untouched, a sudden realization struck Ethan's heart.

Scarlett was never coming back...

Two years later.

Ethan stepped into a secluded yet bustling bar for the very first time.

The manager respectfully guided him through the corridors, leading him down into a private room on the second basement level.

"The person you are looking for is right inside. You know the rules; whether a deal is made or not, nothing about this place or what transpires inside leaves this room."

With those words, the man departed.

Ethan stared at the door before him, taking a slow, deep breath.

He had pulled countless strings through multiple layers of connections just to track down this notorious assassin syndicate in the underworld.

He had come to see if this organization accepted contracts for tracking down missing persons.

After all, since her disappearance two years ago, Scarlett had never surfaced again.

He had secretly hired investigators to search for her, but they couldn't uncover a single trace of her existence. Strangely enough, her phone signal had vanished into thin air.

There were no records of her crossing any borders, and even the restaurant's security cameras hadn't captured her leaving.

It was as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth...

Perhaps a bounty hunter from the criminal underworld would possess more sophisticated means?

With that thought in mind, he knocked on the door, turned the handle, and pushed his way inside.

In the dimly lit room, a woman sat behind an office desk with her back turned toward him, casually twirling a firearm in her hand.

Ethan froze in his tracks, stopping near the entrance without stepping any closer.

"Are you the top assassin of the SA organization, Nightjar?"

"Hello. I want to hire you to find someone, and you can name your price. She is my wife, her name is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the woman swiveled her chair around, revealing a devastatingly stunning, mesmerizing face.

The moment he saw her features clearly, Ethan went completely rigid on the spot: "Scarlett?"

Chapter 8

Under his stunned gaze, the woman raised her hand, aiming the dark, hollow barrel of the gun directly at him as a faint smile played on her lips.

"What a coincidence. Someone just came by and paid a handsome fortune for your life..."

Ethan's voice rang out in sheer panic: "Someone wants to kill me? Who is it!"

Scarlett's expression remained completely unbothered: "I take money to eliminate targets; who the client is happens to be none of my business."

Ethan, however, refused to believe it. "If that's truly the case, then why did you deliberately mention it to me?"

The corners of his lips curved into a smug, knowing smirk: "You're only saying this to get my attention, aren't you?"

"You saw Sebastian parading around with the elite young lady of the billionaire family, realizing he has discarded you. And since you know I've been searching for you for the past two years, you decided to come back to me, didn't you?"

Scarlett cast a casual glance over him: "Whatever Sebastian does has absolutely nothing to do with me. As for you..."

"...I don't care about you either." Her tone was detached, her words icy, and the look she gave him was laced with nothing but pure disdain.

Ethan still refused to believe her, unlocking his phone screen and thrusting it before her eyes.

A video began to play.

Seeing the man standing right in the center of the footage, Scarlett froze.

It was Sebastian.

He wore a flawlessly tailored tuxedo, his features cold and sharp, and his eyes were as deep as still water, appearing capable of drawing anyone into an inescapable vortex.

This version of Sebastian looked like a blade sheathed, trading his aggressive edge for a calculated, profound composure.

Yet he remained just as brilliantly striking.

Ethan mocked:

"A man of his stature will naturally end up with a woman from a matching social tier."

"The woman on his arm is none other than the young lady of the family..."

Seeing Scarlett remain silent, he arched an eyebrow:

"Scarlett, as for your demand for a divorce back then, I can act as though none of it ever happened..."

His tone shifted, becoming lighter, "Let's go back to the way we were, okay?"

Hearing his words, Scarlett found the display both infuriating and farcical.

He hadn't uttered a single word about deceiving her with the fraudulent bankruptcy or betraying her with his childhood mistress; instead, he spoke of granting her his forgiveness?

"Go back to the way we were..." Scarlett let out a cold laugh, asking, "Go back to being treated like your maid?"

Those were the exact words Ethan had uttered during the live PK broadcast.

His expression instantly stiffened.

Scarlett had no desire to waste another second on him, signaling her subordinates to throw him out immediately.

Even as he was being dragged away by two men, Ethan refused to back down, shouting: "Scarlett, I can explain..."

Before he could be completely removed, another person stepped into the room.

The familiar scent of cologne drifted past, instantly bringing a sense of profound security to her heart.

It was Sebastian.

"I finally found you."

"Sebastian!"

"Sebastian."

Scarlett and Ethan spoke his name at the exact same instant.

A beam of light caught Sebastian's face, revealing that his expression hadn't shifted in the slightest.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Accompanied by the fading sounds of Ethan's resentful shouts, the memory of the video she had just seen caused a strange surge of irritation to rise in her chest. She violently tried to fling his hand off.

"What are you doing here again?"

The moment the words left her mouth, a faint pang of regret hit her.

When she chose to vanish two years ago, she had resolved to completely sever ties with everyone from her past social circles. What was she doing acting like this now?