ログインI walked over, slow and steady."I was just gonna call off the engagement," I said. "Could've let your family keep their spot at the top for another twenty years. But you? You chose chaos."Jerick jumped in, desperate."Noah, this all started because of me. I'll take the fall. Just let me watch Ivette die—I want to see it. She already wrecked my life, so why not end it now?"I looked at him, let out a long sigh."Noah, please!" Ivette cried. "This is all Jerick's fault! I had nothing to do with it! Don't punish me!"Watching her scramble to throw him under the bus just to save her own skin made me sick.I kicked her aside without a second thought, eyes cold with pity."You're pathetic. After everything, you still don't get what I really wanted? That's the joke. You really thought some leftover feelings could carry you through life?"She let out a choked groan, curled up in pain.Ivette never liked bowing her head—but now her mind was cracking."Noah... don't go..."Her voic
Ivette's eyes flared with rage."Noah! Who do you think you are? Fine—you used your power to crush my family, but don't get cocky. I've risen before, and I will again. Pray I don't get another shot, 'cause if I do, you'll be the one going down!"She still didn't get it. There weren't any more shots coming.After everything she pulled, the only reason she wasn't already crushed was because I wanted front-row seats to her fall.I shook my head and turned to leave."Ivette, remember three years ago? One person trashed you—and their whole family vanished from Nordica. Or did I shield you so much you forgot what the world's really like?"I said it flat. Steady. Cold.Suddenly, Ivette's face shifted—like she just remembered something that scared her to the core. She spun on Jerick, eyes wild, and grabbed him by the throat."It was him! None of this would've happened if it weren't for him! You want payback? Take him, not me!"The icy calm in her eyes was gone—now it was pure panic.
I watched Ivette's face—yeah, that look said it all.Her pride, her status, even the parts of herself she hated—I'd crushed every last bit right in front of her.She always knew what kind of guy I was. Not because she understood me better than I did, but because she spent years figuring out how to use me.But now? She saw where this was headed.Everyone who knows me knows one thing: I don't let things slide. And once I'm done with someone, that's it. Game over.Everything she had—her name, her clout, the life people drooled over—came from me.So guess what? I could strip it all away.To the world, she looked polished. High-class. Untouchable.To me? Just a dog I kept around.No leash on her neck, but if there was one, it was already buried inside her.She never wanted to face it. Ivette was proud—desperate to be seen, to be praised, to feel like she mattered.But no matter how far she ran, she always circled back to that ugly truth.She tried to break free.And picked the
They froze.Philip went ghost-white, sweat dripping. "No... no way. This can't be real! You LOVED her for years—how did we end up here? This has to be some kind of mistake!"They just stood there, red-eyed, shaking their heads.I waved a hand. "Get them out."Bodyguards took them away.***Three days later, the Bianchi estate."What do you mean we're going bankrupt?! What the hell happened?!"Crack!"You stupid, filthy girl! You cheated, trashed the company—this what you wanted? Who the hell told you to go up against the Northams? How'd I end up with a screw-up like you?!"Philip's whip slammed down on Ivette's back, each hit echoing through the hall with her screams.Melanie stood frozen in the corner, quietly wiping her tears, too scared to speak.Jerick lunged in, yanking Ivette behind him. "Mr. Bianchi, it's not her fault. The Northams cornered her—she had to fight back—"He didn't finish.Philip's fury snapped.One backhand, straight across Jerick's eye.A sharp sc
The next day, Ivette went live from Jerick's hospital room, cameras locked on her.I watched from my office, eyes like ice, barely glancing at Philip and Melanie hovering nearby.On-screen, Ivette looked wrecked—red eyes, pale face, drained. Jerick was out cold on the bed, head wrapped up, blood still leaking through. Every so often, he let out a weak groan."First off," she said, voice shaking like it was staged, "I'm sorry to everyone who's worried. I was too weak. I couldn't protect the guy I love... or my family."She kept going. "Noah Northam had me on a leash with power and money. I didn't even have the freedom to breathe."Her gaze dropped to Jerick, eyes glassy. "Jerick's the only one who actually cares about me."Then she went full dramatic. "Yeah, Noah's a powerhouse in business. My family owes him for that. But he ran my life—who I saw, where I went. Just 'cause he thought Jerick was a bad influence, he went all out to crush him. Spread lies. Tried to erase him. I'm do
"We didn't cheat. Jerick's my childhood sweetheart. We were meant to be."The second she said it, the press went wild.Elite-family drama was their oxygen—they'd dig through trash like their paychecks depended on it."Ms. Bianchi, what about Noah Northam? Weren't you two engaged?"Her gaze slipped. After a beat, she smiled. "Mistaken love just shows you what real love is. I thank Mr. Northam for helping me find my heart."She might as well have said I was the clingy one, using power to trap her—when she's the one who cheated.I laughed. She was out here trashing my family's name on live.The harder she scrubbed her image, the dirtier she looked to me. No way I was letting her off easy.On the way to the exhibition, my phone buzzed again.Saw the caller ID. Picked up calm as ever.A steady voice asked, "You sure this marriage isn't just payback?"I smirked. "Don't you want the market share Bianchi just tanked? This marriage? Pure strategy. Win-win."Shea Serrano paused, then







