He'd been holding that deferential posture the entire time, but I caught the calculation in his eyes the moment it flickered.

He thought handing over control of the project would be enough to shut me up?

"You seem very sincere."

I kept my tone light, almost indifferent.

Bruno's expression brightened instantly.

He thought I was letting him off the hook. He bowed his head eagerly. "Yes, Agatha, I truly realize how wrong I was. This authorization letter represents my commitment to you!"

Our parents nodded approvingly from the side of the table.

They'd all been taken in by the performance Bruno was putting on.

"Fine. I'll give you one more chance."

I let the words fall slowly.

Bruno looked overjoyed. Both sets of parents exhaled in visible relief.

What none of them realized was that I wasn't just speaking to Bruno.

I was speaking to all of them.

"Alright, alright, let's put the past behind us."

"To a smooth partnership between our two families!" My father raised his glass.

Everyone broke into smiles, and the atmosphere warmed again.

After dinner, Bruno walked me to the entrance.

"Agatha, let me drive you home."

He reached for my hand as he spoke.

I stepped aside.

His hand froze in midair. His expression went rigid.

"Agatha, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I already let Genevieve go. I handed over the project. What more do you want from me?"

A flash of anger crossed his face.

But I just looked at him calmly, the way someone might look at trash on the sidewalk.

"Bruno, something that's been dirtied doesn't come clean just because you rinse it off."

"Especially not a person's heart."

He stared at me in disbelief, the corner of his mouth twitching.

I didn't bother acknowledging it. I simply told him, my voice flat: "Don't forget, this is the first chance I'm giving you. Don't disappoint me."

Then I turned and walked away.

Bruno stayed rooted to the spot.

A shadow had settled over his face, dark and heavy.

Don't rush. This is only the beginning.

Securing initial approval authority over the project meant that Henson Group had to follow my directives on it without question.

And the first thing I did was freeze one of Bruno's critical payments.

The next morning, his call came in, his voice tight with urgency. "Agatha, the project's startup funds got sent back? This is going to throw off the entire timeline!"

I put him on speaker, unhurried, studying the freshly printed photographs spread across my desk.

"The receiving party's credentials raised red flags. To mitigate risk, I had Finance run a secondary review."

My tone didn't waver.

"What? That vendor has worked with us for years—"

"Didn't you say you were putting me in charge?"

One sentence, and Bruno went silent.

After a long pause, he managed: "But... but—"

"No buts. Protocol is protocol."

I hung up.

I looked down at the photographs and let out a cold laugh.

My private investigator had sent them over just that morning. Genevieve, the woman who had supposedly been fired, was lounging inside that luxury penthouse.

The watch on her wrist had been captured in perfect clarity.

And Bruno's car was parked right below the building.

Begging me to release project funds with one hand, keeping his little songbird comfortable with the other.

Bruno, you really are something.

Over the following week, I turned a blind eye to everything. The stalled partnership issues. Bruno's secret visits to Genevieve behind my back.

All of it.

When Bruno played the devoted fiance, I responded with polite indifference and nothing more.

Then, finally, Friday evening arrived.

The industry's annual charity auction gala was in full swing, and Bruno, still publicly known as my fiancé, was naturally expected to attend with me.

He'd been waiting downstairs early.

He'd even thoughtfully prepared a bouquet of lilies—flowers I didn't care for in the slightest.

"Agatha, there's a sapphire necklace tonight that I know you'll love. No matter what it goes for, I'll win it for you. How does that sound?"

He held the bouquet out to me.

I took it.

Then tossed it straight into the trash.

"I like daisies."

Bruno's expression froze mid-smile.

He scrambled to follow me into the venue, apologizing the entire way.

The ballroom was packed with the city's elite.

The moment we stepped inside, envious glances landed on us from every direction.

Bruno straightened up immediately.

He thrived on this kind of attention. His grip on my arm tightened without him even realizing it.

As if he really were the flawless golden heir the Henson name promised.

But all of this was part of my plan.

Just as Bruno was settling into the evening, convinced everything was going smoothly, certain he could bask in the spotlight all night—

The unexpected arrived.

His phone began vibrating relentlessly.

He silenced it fast, but not fast enough. I caught the number on the screen.

Genevieve's.

He tried to act like nothing had happened.

I tilted my head, a smile that wasn't quite a smile on my lips. "Aren't you going to answer that? What if it's urgent?"

Bruno stiffened.

Beads of sweat broke out along his hairline. He forced a laugh. "It's nothing. Just a spam call."

"Is that so?"

I smiled. "Funny. I could've sworn that number belongs to that little assistant you let go."

The color drained from his face.

He looked up, panic flickering in his eyes. "Agatha, what are you talking about? I haven't been in contact with her in ages—"

He was still scrambling for words when a commotion erupted near the entrance.

A figure came stumbling through the doors.

"Bruno! Help me, Bruno!"

She was shouting without a care for who heard, barreling past security guards who couldn't hold her back.

By the time Bruno registered what was happening, his face had gone ashen.

It was Genevieve.

Every head in the room turned. Whispers rippled through the crowd like wildfire.

"Agatha, I—I honestly have no idea what's going on!"

Bruno stood rigid beside me.

Of course he didn't know. Because I was the one who'd made it happen.

Genevieve spotted Bruno and broke down completely.

She rushed straight to our table, tears streaming down her face. "Bruno! I got thrown out of my apartment, my bank accounts are frozen, I have nowhere to go!"

"You have to do something!"

She dropped to her knees at his feet, sobbing so hard her whole body shook.

Bruno's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

Around us, the murmuring grew louder.

"Isn't that Mr. Henson's former assistant?"

"I heard she was let go months ago. Why is she still clinging to him?"

"Wait—look at the watch on her wrist. Isn't that the limited-edition piece Agatha gave Bruno for his birthday last year? That thing's worth a fortune!"

Bruno finally snapped to attention.

He kicked Genevieve's hand away and snarled, "What the hell is wrong with you? We barely know each other. Get out of here!"

Genevieve hit the floor. She stared up at him, disbelief cracking her expression wide open.

"So you really were lying to me this whole time?"

"You told me that if I just behaved and kept quiet, you'd come back for me once things blew over!"

"That apartment was something you bought for me. And now that you've had your fun, you're taking it back? You were playing me from the start!"

Her voice had turned raw, hysterical, each word ringing through the silent ballroom.

The room erupted.

I looked at Bruno, and let the cold smile settle across my face.

"Bruno."

"This is what you call 'no contact whatsoever'?"