Chapter 9
461words
With one non-negotiable condition—full involvement in the project from inception to completion.
He studied me for a beat, lips curling into a condescending smirk. "What's this? Hoping to pick up some business skills for your post-divorce job hunt?"
"Something like that." I lowered my eyes, hiding the glacial hatred behind my lashes.
He smiled with the smug benevolence of a king tossing coins to peasants. "Fine. Be at the office at nine."
The moment the call ended, I dialed Pierce.
"Pierce, he's taken the bait."
"Phase one: Use our Cayman shell companies to quietly acquire his floating shares at depressed prices. Let him feel what it's like when the market turns hostile and his own company slips through his fingers."
"Phase two: When the loan withdrawal news breaks, have Meridian Capital offer debt-to-equity conversion at punitive rates. Strangle his cash flow completely."
"Finally: The Laurent Group enters as the 'white knight'—not for rescue, but for execution. Ensure that unlimited personal liability clause I drafted is buried in section twelve of the contract."
Pierce fell silent momentarily. When he spoke again, his voice carried both satisfaction and reverence: "Understood, Miss Laurent. Your strategy is even more ruthless than your father's in his prime."
The following morning, I arrived at Victor's headquarters precisely at nine.
He was savaging his executive team: "These projections are garbage! The investors arrive in four hours!"
When he spotted me, he visibly reined in his rage. "Everyone, my wife. She'll be assisting with the investor reception."
The team eyed me with undisguised curiosity. I offered a demure smile in return.
Mid-presentation, his assistant burst through the door, face ashen. "Victor! Breaking news—the Laurent Group just announced their entry into the smart city sector!"
The conference room froze in stunned silence.
Victor's complexion drained to chalk, his fists clenching. "The Laurents are trying to destroy me!"
But within seconds, calculation flickered in his eyes. "Or perhaps... an opportunity."
With my careful orchestration, Victor secured a meeting with the "Laurent Group representative" that same afternoon.
Across the negotiation table, Pierce—impeccably disguised as the Laurent Group's project director—radiated authority. "We're prepared to inject fifty million. In exchange, we require fifty-one percent controlling interest."
Victor blanched. "That's highway robbery!"
"Take all the time you need to consider." Pierce gathered his documents, preparing to leave.
"Wait!" Victor's hand shot out. Through gritted teeth: "I accept."
As he signed what amounted to his own execution warrant, I savored the exquisite irony.
That evening, Pierce entered my study. "Miss Laurent, all pieces are in position."
"Media outlets, financial investigators, medical team—all standing by?"
"Airtight."
I studied the steel-eyed stranger in my mirror.
Three years ago, I sacrificed everything for love.
Tonight, I would reclaim it all—with interest.
