Chapter 5

​Cafe Noir was still quiet when I arrived.

I sat in the darkest corner. My mind was still stuck on Sakura Residence—on Mike's laughter and the foul plan I had just overheard.

The cafe door chimed. A man in a black suit emanating an aura of dominance walked in. His steps were firm, his sharp eyes locking onto my position immediately.

I was stunned. This man was Dominic. Mike's eternal rival in the business world—the man who, in the future, would become the only person to nearly bring Mike to his knees.

"Are you the one who sent that message?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

Dominic sat across from me without being invited.

"I’ve been monitoring Mike's movements for a long time. He’s cunning, but he’s reckless because he underestimates you." He pushed a thin folder toward me. "Mike doesn't just want to take control of your assets; he wants to destroy your very existence once those documents are signed."

I looked at Dominic. "Why are you helping me?" I asked.

"Because the enemy of my enemy is a friend," he answered with a thin smirk. "I have the capital and the technology. You have access to the inner workings of Mike's company. A fair trade, isn't it?"

I fell silent. In my first life, Dominic was a figure Mike feared. If I wanted to crush Mike to his very roots, I needed a monster bigger than him. I nodded slowly. "I agree."

The next day, I went to Jack's law office. The room smelled of cigars and old paper. Jack looked at me from behind his silver glasses with a judgmental stare.

"I don’t have time for your domestic drama, Bella," he said curtly while closing a file on his desk. "If you’re here just to ask me to defend Mike from the embezzlement allegations that are starting to surface, please leave."

I knew Jack was still carrying a wound. He loved my late brother, and he hated Mike because he felt Mike was a parasite in our family.

"I’m not here to defend him, Jack," I answered calmly as I sat in front of him. "I’m here to put Mike in prison."

Jack laughed cynically. "Impossible. You love him too much to do that."

I leaned forward, looking him straight in the eye. "Two days ago, Mike transferred funds from the 'Blue Horizon' project to a shell company in the Caymans through his secretary's personal account. You want proof?"

Jack's laughter stopped instantly. His face tightened. "How do you know that? Even the internal auditors haven’t found it yet."

"Just consider me having a 'guardian angel' now," I replied with a thin smile. "Help me draft a prenuptial agreement. Make it look extremely favorable to Mike; let him feel like he’s getting all of my parents' inherited land, but include a 'revocation of absolute rights' clause if there is proven adultery or criminal activity."

Jack's eyes glinted. For the first time, I saw respect there. "You want to give him bait?"

"I want him to swallow that bait with joy," I answered coldly.

That night at home, Mike returned with a radiant face. I greeted him with my best acting, as the spoiled and submissive bride-to-be.

"Honey, I’ve read the draft of the agreement you requested," I said while handing him the documents Jack had prepared on the dining table. "I added a few points so my family can't claim our assets later. I want everything to be yours alone, Mike."

Mike read the document quickly. His eyes lit up when he saw the clause regarding the transfer of land assets. He didn't realize that behind the complex legal language was a trap ready to snare his neck.

"You really are the best, Bella," he said, kissing my forehead. He signed it immediately without hesitation.

I smiled, leaning my head against his shoulder, though it made me feel disgusted. "Anything for our future, Mike."

While hugging him, my other hand went to work. Placing the small bugging device Dominic had given me. Carefully, I attached the object under the side of his desk while he was drinking his coffee.

The game has just begun, Mike. I am the one in control of the script.