Nerissa’s POV

“Well, when you put it that way…”

Bella cut her off. “If I were him, I would’ve dumped her a long time ago. She can’t even get pregnant. What’s the use of her? It’s not like she can help him with anything.”

I paused the video.

For a second, I almost stood up and stormed out to find her.

Old? Ugly? No eggs?

How dare she.

It was Eric who didn’t want children. And thirty was hardly old.

I took a slow breath and pressed play again.

Bella’s voice floated back into the room. “Eric and I already planned it. Once I give birth, he’ll divorce her and marry me. We’ll have a winter wedding. I’ll become the official Mrs. Vale.”

By the end, her voice had turned almost frantic. “Just wait, I’ll have money, status. Those girls won’t look down on me again. I won’t even have to work anymore. People will respect me.”

Her hands tightened over her belly. “I’ll have everything. And my son will too.”

The video ended.

I gave myself a few seconds to breathe before I called my father. “Papa, it’s time.”

There was a pause on the other end. “Nerissa, are you certain? Once we move, there’s no turning back. The casino accounts will freeze. His routes will close. Anyone tied to him will feel the impact.”

I clenched my jaw. “I’m certain. They’ve pushed far enough. I’m done playing low-key. I want them to understand what it means to betray an Ardent.”

“Very well,” Papa said after a beat. “I’ll call the family lawyer. Everything will be prepared tonight.”

I lowered the phone slowly and looked out at the sinking sun. Gold and crimson streaked across the sky—beautiful, but fleeting. The kind of beauty that disappears the moment darkness settles in.

Inside me, something burned just as bright.

Eric and Bella. They really believed betrayal came without a price—that after everything, they could turn the Golden Casino into their private meal ticket and use my family’s money to fund their pathetic little future.

Fine, then let me remind them what it means to sit across from the rightful queen of this house.

…

The next morning, I watched Eric drive away, then made a few calls of my own.

By noon, several major investors of Golden Casino were seated in a private room—men who had put their money in because my father once recommended the venture.

“Nerissa?” they asked, surprised to see me instead of Eric.

“Gentlemen,” I said calmly, “I’ll be direct. Many of you invested in Golden because of my father. I respect that. But today, I’m asking you to withdraw your funds.”

Murmurs broke out immediately.

“We’re mid-season—”

“We’ll take heavy losses—”

“How can we pull out now?”

Before I could answer, the door opened.

“I will cover the losses.” Papa stepped inside.

Every Don in the room stood.

Papa came to my side and rested a hand lightly on my shoulder. “I stand with my daughter. If she believes Golden Casino is no longer a sound investment, then neither do I.”

The room shifted instantly.

“Of course, Don Ardent. We invested because of your word.”

“We’ll begin the withdrawal process today.”

“And there’s no need to cover the losses. You’ve given us more than enough over the years.”

By afternoon, the whispers had already begun. Golden Casino was losing its primary investors. Not one, but all of them.

Eric came home early for once. His face was pale, his phone ringing nonstop.

“Please, give me more time—”

“I thought we agreed on at least three years—”

“I’ve already allocated the funds to keep operations stable. You know how critical that capital is—”

He ended the calls one after another, growing more frantic each time.

Watching him unravel was almost… satisfying.

“Neri,” he said, trying to steady his voice, “I ran into some problems at the casino.”

I looked up at him gently. “What happened?”

“Several major investors pulled their money out. All at once. I don’t even know why. They just said they don’t need the casino for laundering anymore.”

Frustration and disbelief were written all over his face.

“Could it be a competitor making moves behind your back?” I suggested thoughtfully.

“Maybe…” Suspicion flickered in his eyes. “Adam. You know him—the boss from that other casino. He’s always looking for a chance to steal business from me.”

If only he knew, the one who stripped his empire in a single day wasn’t some rival across town. It was the wife sitting right beside him, the one he betrayed without a second thought,

“Don’t overthink it,” I said softly. “If it gets worse… I can talk to my family. Maybe they can help.”

He looked at me with something close to gratitude. “I appreciate it, Neri. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Hypocrite.

If I meant that much to him… why was it so easy to betray me?

…

Two days passed. The crease between Eric’s brows never left, but his phone had gone strangely quiet.

At lunch, I received a message.

“Mrs. Vale, can we meet?” —Bella.

“Where?” I replied.

She named a café near the casino.

When I arrived, she looked nothing like the glowing woman from a few days ago. Her eyes were red. Her face pale. She had been crying.

“Mrs. Vale…” she began, voice trembling. “I’m pregnant with Mr. Vale’s child.”

I simply looked at her, didn’t say anything.

Bella searched my face before continuing. “Woman to woman, I never meant to ruin your family. It was Eric who told me he doesn’t love you anymore,” she rushed on. “That you were practically separated. That’s why I—”

“So you believed him?” I cut in softly.

Her face drained further.

“So you thought that gave you the right to sleep with a married man, carry his child—and then what?” I said coldly. “Talk about replacing his wife like it was only a matter of time?”

My voice stayed calm. “What do you want from me?”

“No… not like that.” Her lips quivered. “I came because… I wanted to tell you I can leave Eric. I’m willing to walk away from him—if you pay me.”

I arched a brow. “You would do that?”

“I’m young. I don’t have savings,” she said quickly. “If you give me money, I’ll disappear. I’ll never bother you or Mr. Vale again.”

“Alright, money…” A quiet, humorless laugh slipped from my lips. “How much do you think you’re worth?”

“One million,” she said carefully.

“One million?” My tone sharpened just enough to make her flinch. “And you think you deserve that?”

I stood, smoothing my coat. “You won’t get a single penny from me. And,” I paused, meeting Bella’s reddened eyes. “Don’t waste your tears on Eric—very soon, he won’t have anything left either.”

Her face turned ashen. “Mrs. Vale!” she cried, panic cracking through her voice. “You can’t do this! I’m carrying your husband’s son! You can’t just ignore that!”

“Are you certain,” I asked quietly, “that the child you’re carrying is even Eric’s?”