"Morgan?" He snapped his head around to look directly at me.

And then, his face completely transformed.

He recognized me.

I placed a single finger to my lips, signaling him to keep silent.

His mouth opened and closed in rapid succession, but in the end, he uttered not a syllable, turning back around to sit rigid in his place.

Midway through the forum, the master of ceremonies announced a pivotal corporate signing ritual.

"Next, let us welcome Ms. Morgan to the stage, to formally execute a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with the Horizon Conglomerate and Vanguard Properties."

I stood up.

I walked up to the stage.

The collective gaze of hundreds of people converged upon me simultaneously.

Whispers began to filter through the crowd below the stage.

"That is Morgan? The legendary investor is a woman?"

"She looks remarkably young. I wouldn't have pegged her as someone capable of shifting such massive amounts of capital."

"Do you have any idea how many listed corporations Morgan holds significant stakes in? There are seven known entities alone."

The signing ritual was executed with flawless swiftness.

The master of ceremonies proceeded to outline the expansive scope of Morgan's investment empire.

The names of the seven corporations were read aloud, one by one.

When the fifth name was uttered, a collective gasp swept through the audience.

The fifth entity was the single most vital, core pillar of Ethan's supply chain.

The murmurs throughout the grand hall instantly swelled into a loud roar.

People were already pulling out their phones, frantically investigating the hidden ties between Morgan and Ethan's conglomerate.

Standing on the stage, my eyes swept across every single face in the audience.

And then, I caught sight of two individuals who were definitely not part of the official program.

Seraphina and Madeline.

They were seated in the middle-rear section of the hall.

Seraphina wore a pastel blue dress, her abdomen already showing a slight, gentle curve. Madeline sat right beside her, her head lowered as she stared at her phone.

They had likely gained entry by tagging along with one of Ethan's minor business associates.

Seraphina raised her head, her eyes locking onto me standing center stage.

First came absolute bewilderment.

And then, her expression transformed bit by bit.

She recognized me.

"Mom, the person on stage... is that...?"

Madeline raised her head, casting her eyes toward the stage.

In an instant, every ounce of color vanished from her face.

I tilted my body slightly toward the microphone, taking it into my hand.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am Morgan. It is an honor to formally introduce myself to you all in this venue today."

"I am well aware that a great deal of curiosity has surrounded my name. The moniker Morgan has circulated within the financial and investment circles for over two years, yet no one has ever met me in person."

"My reason for steping into the spotlight today is quite simple."

"Because effective today, I will be stepping forward publicly to take an active role in the commercial operations of this city."

"This includes executing a far more profound, direct intervention in the governance of the seven corporations in which I hold controlling stakes."

I paused for a brief moment.

"Most notably, those entities that maintain intimate operational ties with Ethan's conglomerate."

The grand hall fell into a dead silence for two seconds.

And then, applause erupted.

It began sparsely, but rapidly expanded until it filled the entire room.

Harvey’s applause was by far the loudest.

The look he fixed upon me was a complex mixture of profound shock, deep admiration, and an unreadable layer of intensity.

He knew exactly who I was now.

And he was rapidly calculating exactly what this revelation meant for the fate of Ethan's empire.

As I walked down the stage, I passed directly by the row where Seraphina and Madeline were seated.

I did not break my stride.

But Seraphina bolted to her feet.

"You... how could you possibly..."

I dropped my voice, murmuring a single sentence.

One that only she and Madeline could possibly hear.

"Now do you finally understand why Ethan can never cast me aside?"

"Because I am not his dependent."

"I never have been."

Seraphina’s face turned utterly translucent.

Madeline glared at me with a lethal intensity, her grip tightening around her phone so hard it looked ready to shatter.

I straightened my posture and walked directly toward the exit.

Felix was waiting for me right by the doors.

"Alaina, that performance on stage just now... every single financial and commercial media outlet will be covering this by tomorrow morning."

"I know."

"As for Ethan's side..."

"He will find out soon enough."

The step I took today was entirely irreversible.

I was no longer that woman who hid away behind Ethan’s back, reduced to smashing vases and throwing water to voice her grief.

I possessed my own arsenal.

And I had just turned over the very first card.

Chapter 17

It took only two hours for the news to reach Ethan.

At eight o'clock in the evening, he appeared at the doorstep.

Alone. He hadn't brought a single subordinate with him.

When he walked through the door, his face was entirely devoid of expression.

He sat down on the sofa and unbuttoned his cufflinks.

One by one, his movements incredibly slow.

"Morgan."

He muttered the name.

Then he raised his eyes to look at me.

"Lana, how many more things are you hiding from me?"

"Nowhere near as many as you've hidden from me."

He let out a sharp, mocking scoff.

"You hold shares in seven companies, three of which are vital links in my supply chain. You kept that hidden for over two years, without uttering a single word."

"You kept a mistress for over two years and let my mother buy into your shares, and you kept that completely silent, too."

He lit a cigarette.

"That's different."

"How exactly is it different?"

"I did it to protect you."

"To protect me?"

I walked right up to him.

"You call that protection?"

"Letting Seraphina move into the house you bought, carry your child, take the keys you gave her to enter my home, sit in my chair, and demand that I step down."

"You honestly call that protection?"

He held the cigarette between his fingers without inhaling.

"Madeline holds leverage over me. She threatened that if I didn't keep Seraphina by my side, she would expose everything."

"I know."

He cast a glance at me.

"You know?"

"Grandma told me."

He fell into silence.

"So you were forced into it in the very beginning."

"But what about afterward?"

"Afterward, you called her Sera. You pasted sticky notes on her refrigerator. You guarded her at the hospital for three days and three nights. And you whispered those exact words to her."

"What words?"

"‘Close your eyes, honey. You don't have to look. I'll shield you from it.’"

His hand froze in midair.

The ash spilled right onto his trousers.

"Lana..."

"Those words were meant for me. You spoke them to me."

"From the moment my stepfather swung a liquor bottle at my head, to the moments I was losing consciousness from losing our child in the delivery room—you repeated them countless times."

"And now, you've given them to her."

"So tell me, can you really call that being forced?"

He did not speak.

A heavy silence stretched between us for a long time.

Then he stood up.

"What is it that you want?"

"By making your debut at the forum today, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"

"To let you know that I, Alaina, am not anyone's dependent."

"I possess my own capital, my own network, and my own ultimate cards."

"You refuse to grant me a divorce? Fine. Then we will live on equal terms."

"You can have your Seraphina, and I will have my seven corporations."

"From now on, I will not interfere with anything on your side."

"But do not touch my business, and do not touch my people."

"Otherwise, I can completely paralyze those three core companies in your supply chain within a single day."

He stared at me.

A look finally surfaced on his face that I had never seen before.

It wasn't anger.

It wasn't heartache.

It was absolute unfamiliarity.

He was seeing me in an entirely new light.

"Lana, you've changed."

"I haven't changed. You are the one who forced me to become this way."

He picked up his coat.

As he reached the door, he cast a final look back over his shoulder.

"I won't touch any of Morgan's corporate assets."

"But do not make a move against Madeline, either."

"Why?"

"Because if the leverage in her hands is ever exposed, it won't just destroy me. You won't escape unscathed, either."

The door closed.

I stood alone in the living room.

What exactly did he mean by that final sentence?

What could the leverage in Madeline's hands possibly have to do with me?