I snapped the report shut.

I called Mrs. Higgins over.

"Notify Harvey. I want to see him."

An hour later, Harvey appeared across from me.

"Sister-in-law, what's the matter?"

"I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer truthfully."

"Go ahead."

"The matter regarding the two million dollars—how much do you know?"

Harvey's expression instantly changed.

"Sister-in-law..."

"I have already investigated it thoroughly. I am not here to settle scores with you."

"What I want to know is whether Ethan actually knew the source of that money was compromised back then."

Harvey fell silent for a long time.

"He knew."

"He knew?"

"He knew everything. But he had just gotten out back then, and he had absolutely nothing. You had endured so much hardship alongside him, and he was desperate to make something of himself."

"Madeline actively approached him, framing it as a favor, and he possessed no leverage to refuse."

So Madeline had already begun laying her trap since that long ago.

Harvey nodded.

"What was she after?"

"We didn't know at the time. Only later did it become clear that she was after the profits once Ethan succeeded."

"Her own husband’s business was in a downward spiral, and she required another avenue."

"Ethan was the path she selected."

"Seraphina was the pawn she meticulously arranged."

"Letting Ethan owe her a favor first, then using Seraphina to bind him, and finally buying into the shares to split the profits."

I listened until the end, saying nothing.

Harvey hesitated for a moment.

"Sister-in-law, there is one more thing."

"Speak."

"Madeline has recently been swaying a few of the internal shareholders within Ethan’s conglomerate."

"She is using that file as leverage, meeting with them privately."

"What is she trying to accomplish?"

"She wants to push Seraphina into the company's board of directors."

"Using her status as Ethan's woman to rightfully participate in corporate decision-making."

I stood up.

"Harvey."

"Yes, sister-in-law."

"Does Ethan know about the things you told me today?"

He shook his head.

"Why are you telling me?"

He fell silent for a brief moment.

"Because, sister-in-law, you are far more clear-headed than Ethan."

"Ethan is caught in a vice by that money matter, trapped between a rock and a hard place."

"But you are different."

"You are Morgan now."

"You possess the authority to make a completely different choice."

Chapter 20

After Harvey left, I reviewed all the pieces of information in my mind.

Madeline’s chessboard was far grander than I had imagined.

She wasn't satisfied with Seraphina merely being Ethan's woman.

She wanted Seraphina inside the corporation.

Entering the company meant securing dividend rights and decision-making power.

Once the child was born, Seraphina's position would become even more unshakeable.

By that time, even if Ethan wished to cast her aside, the files in Madeline’s hands combined with her internal network within the company would render him entirely immobile.

This was not a war of emotions.

This was a war of equity ownership.

And I happened to be positioned squarely on this exact chessboard.

When Felix arrived, he brought a stack of files with him.

"Alaina, the shareholders you asked me to look into—the ones Madeline contacted—are all here."

"Five individuals in total. Two have already yielded, while three remain on the fence."

"What are those three waiting for?"

"They are waiting for Ethan's stance. If Ethan nods, they will agree."

"In other words, the pivot still rests entirely on Ethan."

"Correct."

I flipped through the data.

"Combined, how many shares do these five individuals hold?"

"Seventeen percent."

"Plus Madeline’s own three percent?"

"Twenty percent."

"What is Ethan's personal shareholding?"

"Thirty-eight percent."

"And what about me? If my indirect holdings within the supply chain companies were converted into leverage against Ethan's conglomerate, what would it amount to?"

Felix calculated for a moment.

"Directly controlling three core corporations in the supply chain, combined with the separate shares you hold... if you were to negotiate with Ethan, the cards in your hand could restrict roughly twenty to twenty-five percent of his decision-making power."

In other words, if I were to apply pressure simultaneously with Madeline’s faction, Ethan would be caught in a pincer movement.

But if I were to join forces with Ethan, Madeline’s twenty percent would be completely negligible.

Felix looked at me.

"Alaina, are you going to join forces with him?"

"It’s not joining forces."

"It’s letting him realize that the benefits of partnering with me far outweigh the alternative of capitulating to Madeline."

"He believes he is protecting Seraphina."

"But in reality, he is feeding ammunition to his own enemy."

That evening, I did not go home.

I went straight to Ethan's corporate headquarters.

The executive secretary was visibly startled upon seeing me.

"Mrs... No, Ms. Morgan?"

"You can call me whichever you prefer. Is Ethan inside?"

"He is, but he stated that he is not seeing anyone tonight."

"He will see me."

I pushed open the door to his executive office.

Ethan sat behind his desk, a mountain of documents spread before him.

The exact instant his eyes fell upon me, his pen faltered.

"What are you doing here?"

"To talk business."

I took a seat directly across from him.

I placed the files Felix had given me flat on his desk.

"Madeline is swaying your shareholders."

He lowered his gaze, flipping through a couple of pages.

His expression began to heavily darken.

"You know about this?"

"I do."

"What do you plan to do?"

He set the documents down.

"Lana, why are you involving yourself in this?"

"Because this matter directly concerns my assets."

"How does it concern you?"

"The three core corporations in your supply chain belong to me. If Madeline secures decision-making power on the board, her very first move will be to sever your partnership with me, diverting the profits into her own channels."

"If you fall, my three companies will be compromised as well."

"Therefore, I am not here to rescue you; I am here to protect my own interests."

He stared at me.

It was that look of absolute unfamiliarity yet again.

"When exactly did you become like this?"

"Since when did you begin to treat our relationship as a mere business transaction?"

"You were the one who treated our relationship as a business transaction first."

"The exact day you allowed Madeline to buy into your shares, our marriage became a business."

He fell into silence.

I stood up.

"You possess two options."

"First, partner with me. I can handle that two million dollar matter for you, cleaning it up down to the bedrock. My condition is that you strip Madeline of her three percent and completely eradicate Seraphina from your business and your life."

"Second, remain bound to Madeline. Once she rallies enough support, she will render you a puppet. By that time, it will be hard to say whose name will be written on your corporate gates."

"Take your pick."

He snapped the file shut.

He looked at me.

For a long, drawn-out moment.

"Lana."

"Yeah?"

"If I choose the first option, to what extent can you clean this up for me?"

"Immaculately, leaving absolutely no trail."

"What about the matter of the two million dollars?"

"Arthur Vance’s case was closed long ago. The transaction ledgers for those funds are sealed away in classified archives; no one will unearth them again."

"As for the photocopy in Madeline’s hands—as long as she possesses no alternative backups, it can simply be destroyed."

"The critical point is that you must strip her of the leverage to utilize those materials."

"How do I do that?"

"If her husband’s old accounts are unearthed, she will be too busy fighting for her own survival to have any energy left to stab you."

He tapped his fingers against the desk twice.

"Lana, when exactly did you become so ruthless?"

"I have always been this ruthless. It’s merely that in the past, you shielded me from the world, so I had no need to reveal my arsenal."

"Now that you are no longer shielding me."

"I have no choice but to do it myself."

Chapter 21

It took Ethan three days to make his decision.

On the night of the third day, he sent me a brief text.

"Option one."

Two words.

The corners of my mouth didn't turn up, but my hands were steadier than before.

On the fourth day, the largest annual business summit in Washington took place at the International Convention Center.

This wasn't something I had orchestrated; it was a long-scheduled event.

But I chose this exact day to pull in the net.

The number of attendees exceeded eight hundred.

Ethan's business partners, his competitors, major investors, and all the prominent wives of high society were there.

Olivia was there. Mrs. Miller was there. Mr. Davis was there. Harvey was there.

Every single one of the five shareholders Madeline had tried to sway was present.

Madeline and Seraphina were there, too.

This time, Seraphina had changed into a wine-red evening gown. Her five-month pregnancy could no longer be concealed.