Chapter 5 Forgot Her Husband's Name

"I can buy it," Sarah said lazily, taking a sip of water. "But you need to give me the money."

"We're family, and you're talking about money?" Mr. Brown was even more displeased. "Do you know how hard it was for your Mom to raise you? She's not even your biological mother, yet she's so good to you. You have no gratitude at all..."

Monica quickly intervened, playing the peacemaker. "We're all having dinner, no need to scold the child. Viola, you're being unreasonable. Even if your sister has a lot of money, you can't spend it recklessly. Whatever dress you want, let your dad buy it for you later."

Sarah smirked coldly. She stood up. "I'm full. I'm heading back."

As Sarah walked away, Mr. Brown frowned. "What's wrong with her today?"

Monica also felt something was off. Sarah used to long for the sight of the three of them happily together. Even though she pretended not to care, she never refused any of their requests and always complied with whatever they asked her to do. What happened today?

Mr. Brown asked again, "How much was that dress?"

"500,000 dollars," Viola replied.

"500,000 dollars for a dress?" Mr. Brown was annoyed. "Do you think money falls from the sky? Do you know how hard it is to do business these days?"

If it were two or three years ago, when the Brown family was thriving, Mr. Brown wouldn't have cared.

But things were different now.

Despite his scolding, Mr. Brown couldn't bear to refuse his daughter and transferred some spending money to her. "Next time, try to get it from your big sister."

Sarah stood at the gate of the Brown family home.

Living in the villa district, it was hard to get a cab. Plus, she didn't know where the original Sarah's private residence was, so she needed to ask someone.

David was unreliable. She scrolled through her WhatsApp contacts and quickly found the name "Merry Lopez."

In the original story, Merry was Sarah's friend and partner in crime, helping to frame and do all sorts of evil things.

Merry was the kind of brainless sidekick who blindly followed the original Sarah, continuing to think she was doing the right thing until the male lead Ronald arranged for her to be hit by a car.

Sarah sighed and called Merry.

Within thirty minutes, a girl in a pink dress appeared in a convertible in front of Sarah.

Unlike the malicious sidekick Sarah had imagined, Merry had a round baby face, curly long hair, and big eyes, making her look very cute.

"Sarah!" Merry approached warmly, her eyes full of surprise. "Why did you call me?"

Merry had been classmates with Sarah in elementary school. Back then, Merry was overweight and a bit slow, often mocked by teachers and bullied by other girls. They gave her nasty nicknames.

Sarah, who was at odds with the girls who bullied Merry, had some boys beat them up.

Since then, Merry saw Sarah as her savior and became her loyal follower, admiring her deeply.

The original Sarah didn't like Merry much, finding her dull and slow to understand things. But having a follower to boss around was convenient, especially since Merry's family was richer than the Browns.

With her busy parents and numerous servants, Merry was free to spend as she wished. She was always ready to help Sarah, even if it meant bullying Elisa's mom at Sarah's command.

"I heard Elisa's been badmouthing you, calling you vain and money-hungry," Merry said angrily. "She's so awful! I'll teach her a lesson!"

Sarah replied, "Forget about them for now. Merry, can you give me a ride home? To my own place."

Merry looked at Sarah, surprised. Sarah usually called her by her full name, but today she used just "Merry," which felt different, more personal.

Despite her sometimes slow thinking, Merry sensed that Sarah looked down on her a bit.

Sarah had other friends, but Merry considered Sarah her only close friend.

The children of her parents' friends didn't really play with her. She attended a prestigious school from a young age and was often bullied.

While Sarah was studying abroad for a few years, Merry made some friends and dated a few guys. But those friends and boyfriends were only interested in her because of her family's money. They were happiest when she was paying for everything and would secretly laugh at her for being a fool.

As Sarah got into the car, Merry drove her to an underground garage.

When Sarah got out, she asked, "Merry, aren't you coming up to visit?"

Merry hesitated. "Me?"

She knew Sarah didn't like having people over and only allowed Merry to help carry things after shopping. But now Sarah was inviting her up without shopping, which felt unusual.

Sarah smiled. "Of course! You've been so kind to give me a ride home. You should come in and eat something. It's late, and I'm hungry."

Merry followed Sarah into the elevator and pressed the button for the 16th floor.

This floor only had Sarah's apartment. Sarah used her fingerprint to unlock the door and entered.

Uh...

The original Sarah was meticulous and elegant outside, but her home was chaotic. Packages, clothes, and shoes were scattered everywhere, a thick layer of dust covered the table, and a sticky, fragrant spill on the floor indicated spilled perfume or makeup.

Merry hesitated for a moment. "Do you want me to tidy up your place?"

Sarah, "..."

Her husband gave her twenty million a month as spending money!

And she still wanted her friend to clean?

Sarah quickly ordered the most expensive cleaning service through her phone. They promised to arrive in half an hour and finish in two hours.

Seeing the cleaners arrive, Sarah grabbed Merry and said, "Let's go out for dinner."

They went to a nearby upscale restaurant.

Merry hadn't had dinner yet; she was hungry, and her stomach was growling while driving. Knowing Sarah was treating, she felt a bit embarrassed because she usually paid when dining at such places with friends. Previous times with Sarah were no different; Merry had always covered the expenses.

Cutting into her steak, Merry felt uneasy.

The last time Sarah was this nice to her was when Elisa and Ronald had a fight, and Elisa went to work at a nightclub in a fit of anger. Sarah had her spread rumors to Elisa's relatives and friends, saying that Elisa was working as a prostitute at the nightclub. Sarah said that because she looked honest, everyone would believe whatever she said.

Even though she was willing to help Sarah, doing such things made her uncomfortable. Merry worried Sarah might ask her to do something even more awkward this time.

Sarah took a bite of foie gras, savoring the taste with her eyes closed.

Merry hesitated and asked, "Sarah, what do you want me to help you with this time?"

Sarah, "Hmm?"

Then Sarah understood. She smiled. "Nothing much, we haven't seen each other in a while. I just wanted to catch up. What have you been up to these days?"

Merry brightened up instantly. "I... I started dating someone new. He's really nice to me. Tomorrow is my birthday, and he and his friends are throwing me a party. Sarah, do you think you could come? If you're too busy, it's okay..."

"Of course, I'll come. Just send me the details, and I'll be there."

Merry's eyes lit up. Sarah agreeing to come to her birthday was a big deal. "Great."

Suddenly, Sarah remembered something. "By the way, Merry, do you know my husband?"

Merry nodded. "Yeah, he's powerful and influential."

Merry's face turned pale as she thought of something. "Sarah, you're not planning to harm him and take his inheritance, are you? I couldn't be involved in that... His family is too powerful..."

Sarah almost choked on her drink. "Cough, cough... No." She wiped her mouth. "We haven't seen each other in so long that I forgot his name."

He was so mysterious, that there was nothing about him online.

At a nearby table, two well-dressed men were sitting.

Holden, dining with a friend, had noticed Sarah as soon as she entered. But she was too engrossed in her conversation and meal to notice anyone else.

Now, hearing her say such bizarre things, Holden narrowed his eyes slightly.

Merry said, "His name is Holden Smith. I know you two don't have feelings for each other, but I didn't think you'd forget even that..."

Sarah sighed in relief.

Finally, she knew her husband's name.

Now she didn't have to worry about giving herself away in front of Holden anymore.