"The Williams family poured an insane amount of resources into her, all so she


    could be a glittering asset to the family, right? Since she''s so desperate to prove her worth, I figured we might as well give her the chance to create some value for you, Star."


    Ste''s eyshes fluttered, a storm of realization churning in her eyes.


    After her massive scandal, Aurora had been entirely stripped of her authority. Even though Skyler Williams had left her with three percent of the shares, she was exactly like Israel Williams nowpletely locked out of the power structure. In fact, she had it worse than Israel; she was banned from stepping foot inside the corporate headquarters and barred from any executive meetings.


    But no matter how far she had fallen, her marrying McCoy still cemented a massive alliance between the Williams and Chapman dynasties.


    And since Ste was the one sitting on the throne at the Williams Group, this alliance meant the ultimate beneficiary was her.


    Every single one of Aurora''s vicious, desperate schemes had just served to hand Ste a wless victory on a silver tter. Aurora hadn''t achieved a single one of her ambitions; instead, she had been reduced to a literal bargaining chip for an arranged marriage.


    "No matter how ugly the engagement between the Williams and Chapman families gets," Joshua continued smoothly, "as long as they stay married, the two families are bound together by blood and money. When the Williams Group swoops in with this partnership, it permanently shackles the Chapmans to our ship. Once they''re on board, we hold the steering wheel. They be nothing more than a subordinate branch. In the past, a powerhouse like the Chapman family would never bow down and take orders. But now? They don''t have a choice."


    Joshua looked at Ste, a brilliant, terrifying smile on his face. "As long as Aurora sits in the seat of Mrs. Chapman, this partnership is unbreakable. They''re forced to swallow their pride now, which means we dictate the terms of this rtionship forever. And Aurora? She will fight tooth and nail to keep her title as Mrs. Chapman. With her reputation in ruins, she could never marry anyone better than McCoy."


    And with Jonathan Williams in aa, Aurora absolutely could not afford another catastrophic scandal.


    If she did, Ste''s own grip on power would be incredibly unstable. When Jonathan went down, people had already whispered that Ste was behind it-they just didn''t have proof. If something happened to Aurora too, it would basically be a neon sign announcing that Ste was ughtering her own siblings to seize the


    crown.


    Even a cold-blooded shark like Leonard Lerman had been forced to leave Hand Lerman alive at the end of his hostile takeover. Families and corporate boards simply wouldn''t tolerate a literal bloodbath.


    Destroying an enemy was business; ughtering your own family was a line you couldn''t cross.


    Especially since Skyler Williams was still breathing.


    He had turned a blind eye to Jonathan''s "ident," which was already a massive concession. If another Williams child went down, Skyler would undoubtedly snap.


    Compared to Aurora, Jonathan-the


    legitimate heir apparent-was


    Ste''s biggest obstacle. He was the eldest son of Skyler and Nora, he field massive operational power, and hemanded the loyalty of half the board. If he eventually took the throne, even the shareholders loyal to Nora''s faction wouldn''t bat an eye.


    For Aurora to climb back up, she would have to get past that exact same board of directors. The man who had once backed her, Leonard Lerman, hadpletely cut ties. Sellers Burton had vanished off the face of the earth. And while McCoys genuinely foved her, he was famously loyal to his family; his moralpass would never allow him to burn down his entire legacy just to help Aurora seize power.


    Aurora''s wings had been violently clipped long ago. After the scandal, any chance she had of making aeback was dead and buried.


    Listening to Joshua''s terrifyingly precise, clinical breakdown of the chessboard, Ste was suddenly reminded of what Mr. Burton had told her.


    The universe demands bnce.


    Joshua was too smart. Dangerously, apocalyptically smart.


    His intellect was so staggering that he had no true rivals. If he wanted to, he could annihte a person without ever spilling a single drop of blood. In his hands everyone was just a piece on the board, a toy waiting to be yed.