"A valuable pawn shouldn't be wasted on a single strike. Send her back." Mia leaned back in the car, eyes closed, her reply to Gene as indifferent as a passing breeze.
"Understood, Ms. Garcia." Gene responded, though he didn't fully grasp her reasoning.
The news reached Lambert swiftly. He dispatched search parties in desperation, but Mia had chosen her location too well-remote, desolate. By the time they found Tiffany, dawn had already broken past four. She was burning with fever, murmuring Lambert's name even in delirium.
When his subordinates reported the truth, Lambert rushed to the hospital, where Tiffany remained unconscious.
"Master Lambert, these are the surveillance feeds from the hotel entrance and the route taken. The lead vehicle belongs to Ms. Mia." Ethan presented the footage, tracing their path all the way to the outskirts.
"Destroy it." Lambert's command was ice.
Though he sat at Tiffany's bedside, his thoughts were with Mia. His first instinct? To eliminate any potential trouble for her.
"Yes, sir." Ethan bowed and left to carry out the order.
"Lambert..." Once alone, Tiffany's eyes fluttered open, glistening with tears. "I had nothing to do with what happened back then—I was just an outsider.You know what kind of person I am.But Mia... she's pinned all her hatred on me. What happened yesterday—"
"What happened yesterday has nothing to do with her. There's been a misunderstanding, and I'll get to the bottom of it." Lambert cut her off, his voice steel.
"It was her! She sent those men after me!" Tiffany sobbed, clutching his hand. "She humiliated me at the gala. The M Project—I've worked on it for years. Are you really handing it to her?"
Bitter resentment coiled in her chest. How had Mia, of all people, returned as the CEO of Martha Corporation? What twisted luck had brought her back?
"Leave company matters to me. Focus on recovering." His blatant favoritism stung, but Tiffany masked her fury.
As he stood to leave, she seized his wrist, pulling herself up to press against him—
Just as the lurking reporters, tipped off by Julie, snapped their incriminating shot.
"Lambert, do you still have feelings for her? She was the one who abandoned you for Daniel! She's back for revenge—to destroy Wenshte Group!" Tiffany clung to him, her tears a calculated performance.
Lambert shoved her away, displeasure tightening his features. "I know what I'm doing."
"Lambert!" she shrieked, but he didn't glance back.
"What, does your love for her outweigh even the debt you owe me? Fine. I'll make sure she suffers—right in front of you."Her threat echoed off the hospital bed.She'd hoped to manipulate him into eliminating Mia, but his lingering loyalty was infuriating.
Julie arrived soon after, smugly waving her photographic trophies. "Once these go public, Mia will be branded a homewrecker. No amount of status can shield her from scandal. She won't just lose her revenge—she'll be driven out of A City."
Tiffany's lips curled. "Then why wait? Release them. And get William involved. This time, we'll bury her for good."
Lambert traced Mia's address and drove there himself.
As his car idled at the villa's gates, the door swung open—revealing Daniel.
8 a.m. Had he stayed the night?
Rage ignited in Lambert's veins. His fist clenched, ready to strike—
"Did you come here at dawn to pick a fight? Or to avenge Tiffany?" Mia's voice, languid yet razor-sharp, froze him mid-motion.
Lambert turned toward the sound and saw her - draped in a pristine white dress, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed. When their eyes met, hers held nothing but icy disdain and utter indifference.
"Stay away from her," Lambert ground out.
"You forced her into surgery. You nearly killed her and your child. What right do you have to demand anything?"* Daniel stepped forward, unyielding.
"Daniel, don't waste time here. Your hospital needs you." Mia's tone could frost glass. "Engaging with the unworthy is beneath you."
"As you wish. Be careful, Mia." Daniel's affectionate reply was salt in Lambert's wounds.
Were they together now? The question choked him, but he couldn't voice it.
Only when Daniel's car vanished did Lambert step inside.
"You two, are you together?" He asked these words in a low and helpless voice.
"Don't think that everyone is as dirty as you. You came at the right time today. I have something to give you." Mia said and turned to go into the house.
Minutes passed. When she didn't return, Lambert entered. The decoration style of the villa is so depressing that it makes people feel breathless. The combination of gray and black makes it look lifeless.
Then—thud. A document struck his chest.
DIVORCE AGREEMENT.
He didn't need to read further.
Silent, Lambert tore the papers in half and tossed them into the trash.
"I won't sign." His voice frayed at the edges.
Mia didn't react. "Right now, I'm being civil. Refuse, and you'll regret it."
"Mia, about the past—" He faltered.
She was already walking away.