Liam''s voice was weary, but he pushed through. "I want to go with you, Grace. If something goes wrong, we can look out for each other."


    "Not this time, Liam. You have to memorize those reports front to back."


    Liam almost wanted to argue like in the old times, but something stopped him. He pursed his lips. "Okay. Just... be careful."


    After all, Edric''s hatred toward Grace had reached a point where anything was possible.


    Grace had intended to call it a night, but instead, she headed to the living room, opened herptop, and started digging deeper into the profile of the man holding that decisive 7% of shares.


    She had no idea that, at that moment, the executive she had targeted was groveling beside a man and trembling violently. He had no idea who he had pissed or why he had been dragged into this nightmare. His knees buckled beneath him, and the thick, coppery scent of blood in the air made his skin crawl.


    His throat felt tight, like invisible hands were wrapped around it. He couldn''t make a sound. Sweat dripped from his forehead, sttering against the floor. He was barely holding back tears.


    However, the man in front of him hadn''t spoken a word. He just sat there like the devil himself, quiet and terrifying.


    Edric hade to him earlier that day, and he had already agreed to hand over his shares. Now, his blood ran cold. Could this man be someone sent by Grace?


    Grace was the one who destroyed Thomson''s face, after all.


    The executive''s lips quivered for what felt like forever before he finally stammered, "I-If it''s the shares you''re after, they''re yours. Just please... Let me live."


    He was shaking like crazy when the man before him spoke.


    "Sell them to Edric."


    With that, the man was gone.


    The pressure in the room lifted in an instant, and even the dead body was dragged away.


    The executive felt like he had just been handed his life back. As he wiped sweat from his face, his phone rang. It was Grace. He rejected the call immediately and blocked her number.


    The next morning, just as he opened his front door, he froze-Grace was standing there.


    She was holding a thick stack of documents. It was a proposal she had clearly stayed up all night- writing. If thepany followed this strategy, its stock price could easily double within two years.


    Pn


    She had done her research. This executive, Nelson Langton, held thergest stake. It was a sign of the trust Quentin had once ced in him. Besides, he wasn''t part of Edric''s camp; he was just caught in the middle. If Grace dangled the right offer, there was a real chance Nelson would back her.


    Well, ifst night hadn''t happened, she''d be right.


    Yet now, Nelson''s life was tangled up in those shares. So, the moment he saw Grace, his face turned ghostly pale, and he instinctively stepped back. "Ms. Lambert, hi," he mumbled a greeting.


    Grace was taken aback at his reaction. Softly, she smiled and said, "Hi, Mr. Langton. I''d like you to take a look at this proposal.


    "You and my father started thepany from nothing. You know what this ce really stands for, and Edric has forgotten all of that. All he wants is power. I know you still care about thepany''s future, and that''s why I think we''re on the same side. So, would you let me borrow just a little of your time?"


    She expected an immediate yes, but instead, Nelson stepped around her and walked away. "Apologies, Ms. Lambert. I''ve decided to sell to Edric."


    "Mr. Langton, please. Do it for my father."


    Nelson froze for a heartbeat, then hurried away. "The deal is done, and I''m


    signing soon. Don''te looking for me again."


    If Nelson didn''t go through with the sale, he''d be a dead man.