Julian composed himself and entered the conference room with a smile.

Daniel Kim, the government’s project representative, was an old acquaintance of Richard’s. They were chatting warmly.

“Sorry to keep everyone waiting. The reporters downstairs were rather enthusiastic.”

Kim looked at him with approval.

“You’re the talk of Fairhaven. A ten-percent rise in one day. Everyone in finance is calling it your personal market miracle. The shares are still climbing, aren’t they? Even Stella never managed that. You’ve raised an impressive son, Richard.”

The shareholders joined in.

Julian sat modestly, a small smile at his lips.

Richard enjoyed the praise a little longer before laughing.

“Keep this up and you’ll give him a swollen head.”

He took a sip of tea and let the room settle.

“Though securing eight point four billion single-handedly was no small achievement.”

I sat on a sofa across the room, watching them praise him to the skies.

My fingers drifted through the thorny leaves of a nearby plant.

Slowly, my thoughts settled.

Lucian wouldn’t work with Julian.

He had always despised him.

Even when I was hopelessly in love, whenever Lucian saw us together, he looked disgusted.

“Do you have a thing for ugly men, Stella? How can you treasure a useless piece of shit like him?”

At the time, I thought he was jealous.

Now I knew he had been the clear-eyed one.

He had seen Julian for what he was from the beginning.

I began to relax.

If Lucian really wanted the project, he would take it for himself.

By any means necessary.

That was his style.

I looked toward the closed doors and silently wished he would appear, like a very unwelcome miracle, and destroy Julian’s dream.

“The investment has arrived?” Kim asked.

“Yes.”

Julian had the finance director bring up the account for inspection.

Kim checked it.

“Under our procedures, we need to review the source of funds again. Once everything is cleared, we can sign.”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

Julian was utterly confident.

He hadn’t doubted Mr. L’s background. Not for a moment.

I had worked with the man for years.

Julian knew how cautious I was. I would have checked his identity thoroughly before agreeing to a partnership.

So he hadn’t bothered to investigate for himself.

It wouldn’t have helped.

If I couldn’t uncover Lucian’s disguise, what chance did a man who lived off my work have?

I had always understood the fundamental gap between Lucian and me.

The Whitmore Group and the Blackwood dynasty occupied different worlds.

He had more than enough power to crush me.

Perhaps fighting me was entertainment. Something to relieve the boredom.

For me, every battle required everything I had, just to find one narrow path through.

People thought we fought each other to the death.

He was playing.

I was fighting for my life.

I couldn’t afford to lose.

Now Julian had taken my place.

His losses would be uglier.

He checked his watch repeatedly.

Only ten minutes had passed, but he was visibly impatient.

Once the contract was signed, the word “acting” would disappear from his title.

The position he had always wanted would finally be his.

“I can personally guarantee there’s no problem with the money,” he told Kim. “The review is just a formality. I have a press conference afterward. Why don’t we sign now?”

Kim shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I can’t disregard procedure. A few more minutes won’t hurt. Please be patient.”

Julian could only wait.

He kept glancing toward the review team.

Finally, one of the staff rose and approached with a laptop.

“We’ve completed the review.”

“Then we can sign.”

Julian was so certain of himself he hadn’t noticed the man’s expression.

The staff member glanced at him, bent toward Kim, and whispered something.

Kim’s friendly face hardened.

He gathered the contracts and stood.

“I’m afraid we won’t be signing today.”

Every trace of my anxiety vanished.

I settled into the sofa to enjoy the show.

Julian’s face went from flushed to white.

Now I understood Lucian’s particular sense of fun.

Taking away something a person had never possessed wasn’t much of a punishment.

He wanted Julian at the top of the ladder, half a step from heaven.

Then he would kick him straight into hell.

I smiled.

Fairhaven’s Devil knew how to entertain himself.

Julian looked stunned.

Then he jumped up and caught Kim as he turned to leave.

“Please. This isn’t the time for jokes.”

His smile looked painfully dry.

Kim pulled away, visibly irritated.

“I didn’t come here this early to joke about one of the government’s largest development projects.”

Everyone else stared at the sudden reversal.

Richard stepped forward, frowning.

“Daniel, what’s happened? There must be a misunderstanding. The investment is in the account. We can go straight to finance and verify it.”

“Exactly,” Julian said quickly. “The money is here. Nothing can have gone wrong.”

Kim gave a cold laugh.

“Yes. It’s in your account. But I suggest you return it as soon as possible. Once the police arrive, explaining yourselves will be much harder.”

“The police?”

Father and son changed color together.

Julian couldn’t even force a smile now.

“What do you mean?”

Before Kim could answer, the doors burst open.

Several uniformed officers strode inside.

The man in front surveyed the room, then fixed his gaze on Julian.

“That’s him. Take him in.”