Lucas borrowed Winona's phone, found my number in her contact list, and sent me a message.

"Natania Simmon, are you done with your tantrum? Just stop with the nonsense already! I'm giving you three days to calm down. If you come crawling back to apologize to me, then I'll let this matter go!"

Meanwhile, I was sitting in the wine cellar with Caleb, listening to a progress report on my plan to take down Lucas while sampling a bottle of '82 Lafite.

When my phone vibrated, I picked it up and checked it, only to see that message. Scoffing, I simply replied with a concise, "Fuck off."

Then I took a picture of Caleb and me clinking glasses and sent it to Lucas on a whim.

In the photo, the wine racks behind me were filled with countless expensive vintage wines. The sheer lavishness of the sight stung at Lucas' eyes.

He stared at his phone, a crack finally appearing in that blind self-confidence of his as a sense of unease and helplessness welled in him like never before.

…

Caleb swirled the red wine in his glass and spoke in a mild tone, as though he were talking about the weather.

"How many minutes will it take to freeze all of his credit cards?"

Taking a sip of wine, I answered placidly, "Three minutes are enough. Then, let him get a taste of what it means to be cut off at the source. All his major clients only signed with him on account of the Simmon family, so terminate those accounts."

Calab snapped his fingers, and the assistant standing off to the side instantly nodded and went off to do as ordered. He then turned to me, smiling. "Tania, your decisive ruthlessness really reminds me of Dad in his prime."

However, I didn't return the smile. This was only the appetizer.

…

Lucas brought Winona to a five-star hotel to book an executive suite. He wanted to use this way to tell himself that he could still live a good life without me.

The receptionist accepted his card and swiped it.

"Excuse me, sir, but your card has been frozen."

Surprised, Lucas handed her another card.

"This one has been frozen, too.

"Sir, this one as well."

He brought out every card in his wallet, and with every failed attempt, the receptionist's smile grew increasingly cold and professional.

The other hotel guests were also staring at Lucas, their gazes feeling like needles on his skin.

By then, Winona's expression was rather dark. She discreetly took a small step back to distance herself from him.

"How is this possible? My card limits are all very high!"

Cold sweat dotted Lucas' forehead, and he decided to call the bank's customer service right there and then, in front of everyone. He even put the call on loudspeaker mode.

"My apologies, Mr. Gardner, but your account has been placed under risk control. Your overall credit rating has been downgraded to the lowest level, and all credit services under your name have been suspended."

The call ended with a beep, which rang out particularly loudly in the dead silence of the lobby.

For the first time ever, the way Winona looked at him took on a disdainful edge.

Just as Lucas was at his wits' end, the CEO of the company called him and exploded in a rage like never before.

"Lucas Gardner, what the fuck have you done? Global Universe, Cosmos Science, and Oceania have all unilaterally cancelled their orders! Do you have any idea of the extent of the losses our company has incurred? Get the hell back here right now! If you fail to retain our clients, then you can kiss your job goodbye!"

Lucas was thoroughly dumbfounded. Those few companies were his most stable and core clients, the ones that landed him the sales director position. How could they have suddenly decided to abandon him overnight?

Nearby, Winona's eyes took on a speculative gleam. She comforted Lucas with fake sincerity, "Luke, don't panic just yet. There must be some kind of misunderstanding…"

At the same time, she stealthily took out her phone and searched my name on the internet. She had finally realized that there was more to me than met the eye. I wasn't just some daughter of a farmer from the countryside, as I claimed.

Meanwhile, under the guise of a mysterious overseas investor, I met Jeremy Luther, a collaboration partner whom Caleb had arranged for me. We were dining at a restaurant that Lucas and I used to frequent last time.

I also informed my team to contact Lucas' business rival. I wanted to acquire the company, then slowly have fun with my revenge.

As I expected, Lucas was staking out the restaurant in hopes of seeing me. He had likely set aside all pride to come here, thinking that as long as he surrendered, I would forgive him just like how I used to.

He got to see me, alright, and also the man with me.

I was smiling as I toasted Jeremy, not even sparing Lucas a glance.

Lucas was left standing there, like he was a part of the wallpaper. At last, he couldn't take it anymore and rushed over, his eyes bloodshot.

"Natania!"

My bodyguards were like an impenetrable wall, easily stopping him from getting any closer.

Jeremy shot him a disdainful glance before turning to me and purposely asking, "Tania, who is this?"

Picking up my napkin, I dabbed at my mouth before answering, my smile faint. "An unimportant part of my past."

Hearing that, Lucas instantly flushed bright red.

All the humiliation he had suffered thus far had Lucas deciding to go all-in at work. He placed his only hope on the company's biggest project—Project Skyvault.

For the sake of this project, he spent countless nights burning the midnight oil, all to prepare what he thought was the perfect proposal. The whole time, he daydreamed about how he would be able to make a comeback if he succeeded in nabbing this project, thereby leaving behind the trauma I had caused him.

The company wasted no time calling a highest-level all-hands meeting. There was only one item on the agenda—to bring in a new strategic investor for Project Skyvault. This investor would acquire a 30% stake in the company and appoint a new chairman.

Before the meeting, the CEO specifically asked Lucas to come to his office. Patting Lucas' shoulder, he said, "Lucas, this is your last chance. This new investor has a mysterious background but comes with terrifyingly formidable resources. As long as your proposal wins them over, forget about the mess you caused previously, I guarantee that you'll be promoted straight to the position of deputy CEO!"

The flames of hope once again ignited in Lucas' eyes. Overcome with gratitude, he clasped the CEO's hand tightly, as though he were clutching at his last lifeline.

Little did he know, this CEO had already met me countless times, each time acting like a simpering fool. What was even more hilarious was that the night before the meeting, I received an email from Winona.

The attached file was none other than the core proposal Lucas had painstakingly drafted over countless sleepless nights.

In the accompanying message, Winona was all kinds of sycophantic as she claimed to have looked up to us, the "new investor", for a very long time now. She even declared her willingness to do anything we asked of her.

Clearly, she thought Lucas' time was over and was trying to sell what was left of his worth to find herself a new backer.

Unfortunately for her, the person she was trying so hard to curry favor with was none other than me.

The door to the conference room was pushed open before Caleb, who had accompanied me to the door, made an inviting gesture inside.

"Go on, my dear chairman. Show them who's the real boss here."

Under everyone's expectant gazes, the CEO jogged over and respectfully held the door open for me, his body tilted sideways so that I could enter.

Clad in a tailored white suit, I stepped inside and headed straight to the seat at the head of the table, which symbolized the highest authority.

Clearing his throat, the CEO then introduced me, "Everyone, this is our one and only investor in Project Skyvault, and she also happens to be our newly-appointed chairman—Ms. Natania Simmon!"

Lucas' eyes widened in shock as the excitement, hope, and ambition on his face froze, then slowly disintegrated. His mind was blank, and all he could do was stare at me numbly.

The woman who had once cooked and cleaned for him—the one he had mocked as incapable of living without him—now sat in the most powerful seat in the room, looking down at him with a cold, distant gaze.

The proposal he was clutching, the stack of papers he had pinned all of his hopes on, dropped to the floor with a soft thump and scattered.

I couldn't even be bothered to glance at him. Instead, I turned to the CEO. I then spoke in a voice that wasn't loud but still carried clearly across the entire conference room.

"Before we start this meeting, I would like to handle one small matter. I heard that the Sales Director, Lucas Gardner, embezzled the company's funds to pay for one Ms. Langdon's high expenses. Besides that, he's suspected of leaking core company secrets to a third party."

Pausing briefly, I eyed the camera installed in the corner of the room before curving my lips into a smirk.

"Please report this to the police, then start an internal audit, with the legal department following up.

"Now, we can begin the meeting."