I hadn't taken more than a few steps before Landon rushed up from behind and grabbed my wrist. "Stop this madness, Olivia! Say what you actually mean!"

He bent down, picked up the divorce papers, and there they were again—those eyes with mockery dancing in them.

"You think I don't know what you're plotting? You're playing hard to get! Without me or Yale Group's resources, what can your little figure skating prize money even do for you?"

He was certain I wouldn't leave him, just like every fight before this. Every time, he had found a way to make me give in.

Seeing Landon's confidence return, Eunice found her nerve, too. Her tone turned sharp, dripping with fake sweetness. "Oh, Liv. It's just a dress. You have so many—what's wrong with lending me one?"

She tugged at the costume on her body, straightened up, chest lifted, showing it off without shame. "And besides, it looks way better on me—Landon's words, not mine. You're just jealous, aren't you? Gosh, you're petty."

I stopped. Slowly, I turned back, my eyes locking onto the dress she was wearing. That costume was the highlight of my career, the one honor I had earned with blood, sweat, and countless hours on the ice.

Now, it was draped over a clown, paraded around like a trophy.

I didn't bother with Landon tugging at me, nor did I argue with Eunice. Instead, I calmly took out my phone and dialed. "Hello, 911? I'd like to report a crime."

My voice wasn't loud, but in the otherwise dead-silent hall, every word carried.

Landon froze. "What on earth are you doing?"

Eunice panicked, too. "Liv, w-why are you calling the cops?"

I spoke into the phone, but my eyes stayed fixed on her.

"I'm reporting the theft of my trade secret. The item is valued at over seven figures. The suspect is currently wearing the evidence. The address is the Yale Group New Year's Gala…"

Landon lunged for my phone, but I shifted aside and avoided him. Colors drained from Eunice's face.

"What trade secret? It's just a stupid dress!" he argued, still trying to bluff.

I let out a cold laugh. "A stupid dress? That costume was hand-stitched over six months by a top Valtalian designer. Every stone on it is a real diamond from Nafira.

"The design crafts have never been released, and they include three unpublished design patents. So, tell me, what exactly do you think it is, if not trade secrets?"

Eunice was too angry to speak. "You…"

Landon was stumped, too. He had thought it was just an ordinary costume.

Soon, two police officers arrived.

Landon tried to block them, but one of the officers shut him down with a firm warning. "Ms. Fontaine, do you have the evidence?"

Of course, I did.

I snapped my fingers. The giant screen in the hall lit up. Footage from the surveillance in my dressing room started playing.

On screen, Eunice slipped inside, sneaking around. She opened my wardrobe, took out the Ice Queen costume, and stood in front of the mirror, repeatedly posing with it.

Then, without hesitation, she stripped off her own clothes and changed into my costume, greed written all over her face.

The proof couldn't be clearer. Pale was the shade of Eunice's face, and she looked like she might collapse at any second.

Landon was just as shaken. He probably never imagined that the so-called simple, harmless friend that he kept defending would actually steal.

So, he started begging. He tried to smooth things over, dragging our marriage into it like leverage. "Why don't you just let this go, Liv? Eunie didn't mean it. Don't make it worse than it already is. It does nobody any good."

I looked at him coldly, as if he were a stranger I never loved.

The officer turned to me. "Ms. Fontaine, how would you like to proceed?"

I glanced at Eunice, trembling like a leaf, and laid out my condition for settling it privately. Then, I ordered, "Take off what doesn't belong to you and give it back right this instance."

Eunice shook her head, crying, clutching the costume. "No! Not when everyone's around!"

At that, Landon quickly removed his suit jacket and moved to drape it over her.

"Move!" I snapped, stopping him in his tracks.

Then, I reached into my bag and pulled out a small pair of scissors—the sound of the snip cut through the silence. Step by step, I walked toward Eunice, the scissors' tip aimed at that glittering costume.

"You're not going to do it? Fine. I'll cut it off for you."

Eunice's scream pierced the room. Under everyone's eyes, she fumbled and tore the costume off herself, humiliated and shaking. All that was left on her was a set of revealing undergarments, every bit of her disgrace laid bare.

Around us, muffled laughter broke out, mixed with the sound of phones snapping photos.

With the scissors, I lifted the contaminated costume in disgust, turned around, and tossed it straight into the towering champagne pyramid beside me.

I watched the Ice Queen costume slowly sink into the bubbling liquid and said to Landon, "I don't want it anymore. It's filthy."

A wave of anger and physical nausea hit me all at once. My vision blurred, and everything went dark.

When I came to, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. I was in a VIP hospital room. An IV needle had been reinserted into the back of my hand.

Landon stood by the bed, impatience written all over his face. Seeing me awake, he poured a glass of water and handed it over, his tone stiff.

"Let's put an end to this. I've already handled the gala incident. Eunie's depression relapsed from the shock. She's in the room next door right now. You just need to issue a statement saying it was all a misunderstanding."

He said it so matter-of-factly, as if I were the one causing trouble.

I didn't take the water, but looked at him quietly. The face I had loved for so many years now felt completely foreign.

"Landon, did you ever love me?" I asked softly.

He froze for a moment. His eyes flickered away almost immediately, then he put on that same impatient expression again. "Of course, I do. Why would I marry you if I don't? Stop overthinking things. Eunie is just a good friend. We—"

Before he could finish, another wave of nausea surged up from my stomach. I turned my head abruptly and retched violently into the trash bin beside the bed.

This time, it was worse than anything at the gala. The cardiac monitor at my bedside suddenly blared. Doctors and nurses rushed in immediately.

When the doctor took one look at my condition, he glanced at Landon. The doctor's expression darkened instantly, as if he had understood something.

"Didn't you read her medical records?" the doctor snapped. "She has Pathological Lie Aversion, a severe allergy to lies! Stop feeding her more of them! You could kill her!"

Landon was stunned. He looked at my pale face, then at the doctor's serious expression. Disbelief twisted across his features. "Pathological Lie Aversion? Now, what kind of act is this?"

To him, it was all theatrics, a ridiculous excuse to gain sympathy.

It turned out he had never read my medical records nor once believed the pain I had been describing.

I browsed my phone and tapped into the trending page. It was all about Eunice and her depressive episode.

In a video, she was lying in a hospital bed, livestreaming. Tears streamed down her face as she accused me of tormenting her. The comment section was flooded with insults directed at me.

I turned the screen toward Landon. "Did you do this, too?"

A flicker of unease crossed his face, but he didn't deny it. "I just needed to control the public opinion quickly. As my wife, taking a little hit like this shouldn't be a big deal, should it?"

Wow. What a sentence. I couldn't help but laugh.

This was the man, the husband, whom I had loved for a decade.

I yanked the IV needle out of my hand. Blood welled up again almost immediately.

Under Landon's shocked gaze, I picked up the glass of water from the bedside and splashed it right onto his face. "Get the hell out of here!"

He had probably never seen me lose control like this. For a few seconds, he simply stood there in stunned silence. Then, his expression twisted with anger and humiliation as he wiped his face.

"You're acting like a total brat, Olivia! I'm freezing your card! We'll see how long you can keep acting tough without that money!"

He stormed out and slammed the door shut behind him.

I stared at the blood slowly seeping from the back of my hand. Strangely, I didn't feel any pain anymore.

Less than ten minutes later, a bank notification popped up on my phone. My supplementary card had been frozen.

Landon thought that was my lifeline, but he didn't know that what I could provide was far more than what he had given me so far.

Due to the negative press surrounding Yale Group, the market opened the next day with a sharp drop. Within just a few hours, billions had been wiped out. An emergency board meeting was called.

Landon was a mess in the conference room. He was promising the shareholders, almost desperately, that he would handle me and ensure the Fontaine family would continue their support toward them.

He was still mid-speech, spinning his grand promises, when the heavy double doors to the conference room were pushed open from the outside.

I stepped in, dressed in a tailored high-end suit and a pair of four-inch heels, with a full team of elite attorneys following behind me.

The moment I appeared, the entire room went silent. Every gaze was locked onto me. Landon looked up. At first, he froze, but the surprise was quickly replaced by a mocking smile.

"Oh, look at you. Running out of money already? Came to admit defeat? Isn't it too late to realize you need me now? Kneel and apologize to Eunie and me, and I might just consider forgiving you!"

Landon thought I had come to beg.

I didn't even entertain his barking and simply walked straight toward the head of the table. My lead attorney stepped forward and placed a document down in front of the board.

"Good afternoon, shareholders. I am here to announce that my client, Olivia Fontaine, is the largest silent partner of Yale Group, holding 35% of the company's shares, along with full veto power."

With that, the room fell eerily silent.

Every shareholder stared at me in shock—including Landon. His expression looked like he had seen a ghost, his jaw to the floor.

"N-No way! Where would you even get that kind of money? All you had was your prize money!"

I looked at him, then casually tossed another set of financial documents onto the table. "Prize money?"

A soft laugh escaped me, almost pitying. "Landon, that kind of money is barely enough for a few handbags. It's basically pocket change."

I tilted my head slightly. "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Olivia Fontaine, the sole heir of Fontaine Consortium. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want to hurt your fragile, tiny ego, Landon."

Landon's face went from anger to shock. The company he had always been proud of had turned out to be nothing more than a drop in the ocean compared to my family's empire.

He had always thought I was after his money. In reality, I had been above him the entire time.

I no longer spared him a glance as he stood there, completely shaken. Turning instead to the stunned board members, I delivered my first decision.

"I hereby exercise my veto power and reject all proposals submitted by Mr. Yale. Additionally, on behalf of Fontaine Consortium, I officially withdraw all exclusive sponsorships from Yale Group, effective immediately."