THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.

James knows there were bigger stakes at play here. More important reasons he had asked for this meeting in the first place. He couldn't afford to waste time on jealousy when what he needed from William was far more severe and potentially game-changing.

So instead of asking what William liked about Cora, James straightened his posture, tightened his jaw, and prepared to steer the conversation toward what truly mattered.

"I have something," James said, his eyes narrowing slightly, "something that will give Cora little to no choice but to agree to whatever you say. No bargaining, no defiance. It'll force her hand completely."

Immediately William's brow arched slightly, curiosity flickering across his face. He didn't interrupt, he simply gestured with his hand for James to continue.

"I don't know if you've been having trouble getting to her," James continued, his voice steady but with an undertone of mocking. "But this… this will fix that. I'm talking about one hundred percent certainty. With what I'm offering, she'll fall right into your hand, and stay there."

At that moment the weight of James's claim hung in the room, and for a moment, silence stretched between them. Deep down, though, James's thoughts were more conflicted than his words revealed. He knew, as well as anyone, that Cora wasn't the type to fall for a man like William.

He's too old, too proud.

But his personal feelings toward Cora were twisted, resentment mixed with envy. She had outmaneuvered him in ways he hadn't seen coming. She had humiliated him, taken ZXZ out from under him in what felt like a miracle, no, not a miracle. A setup. Someone powerful was backing her, someone far above the league James had been playing in, and every instinct told him that person was William Victor or perhaps even someone more dangerous, someone operating behind the scenes whom James couldn't yet name. But for now, William was his best bet the only way to strike back at Cora, even if it meant handing her over to another man he despised for humiliating him.

William leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table, eyes locked onto James like a predator circling prey.

"You sound confident," William said finally, his voice low and smooth, masking the sharp curiosity beneath. "So confident it's almost amusing."

He tilted his head slightly, studying James. "What exactly is this something you think will hand Cora over to me?"

James's lips curled into a faint, humorless smile. "Let's just say… it's leverage she can't ignore. And once you have it, Mr William, she'll either stand with you or watch everything around her crumble."

At that moment, William leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing as he studied James with an expression that mixed intrigue and quiet disdain. The request sounded simple enough when spoken aloud, but William knew better, nothing someone like James offered ever came without strings tangled deep beneath the surface. Still, he allowed the man to speak, his silence urging James to reveal more.

James straightened his posture, a faint smirk curling at the corners of his lips as if he believed he finally held some measure of power in the conversation. "It's quite simple," James said smoothly, his tone dripping with calculated calmness. "I only want two things. Two things I know you can do, no excuses, no complications."

Then William raised a brow slightly, the only visible reaction he allowed himself. "Go on," he said, his voice steady, though his mind was already dissecting the angle James might be playing.

"First," James began, his voice firm and deliberate, "I want you to withdraw all of the hidden support you've been giving Cora. Every last bit of it. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about I've been watching her moves, watching how quickly she pulled ZXZ out of my hands. That doesn't happen unless someone like you is backing her, quietly pulling strings behind the scenes. I want it gone. Without your influence, she won't last long, and I'll have room to strike where it hurts."

Hearing James words William's eyes hardened, but he didn't interrupt. James took that as a cue to continue.

"Second," James said, leaning forward now, his tone dropping into something sharper. "I want you to convince her one way or another to give ZXZ back to me. I don't care how you do it. Sweet talk her, pressure her, manipulate her if you have to. She won't listen to me not anymore but you her helper, her back bone…?" A mocking smile crept across his face. "She listens to you. At least, more than she listens to anyone else. Make her believe handing it back is her choice, her idea, and my company is mine again."

He paused, letting his words settle in the silence of the VIP room.

James's gaze was unwavering as he added, "I know for a fact you were the one who helped her make this happen. That's why I came to you. You were the missing piece all along. Do these two things for me, Mr.William, and I'll give you the one thing you truly want, the leverage that will make Cora yours. She won't fight you, she won't run. She'll have no choice but to say yes."

At that moment, hearing what James just said, William's expression remained calm on the surface, but deep inside, his thoughts were swirling with quiet disbelief.

'This fool… does he seriously think I'm the one backing Cora?'

he mused silently, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he studied James's face. He doesn't know a thing about how Cora managed to acquire ZXZ, not a single clue about who's really behind her moves. 'And yet, he's standing here convinced that I'm the mastermind?'

William's jaw tightened briefly, though he quickly masked it with a faint, almost uninterested smirk. 'Good,' he thought coldly. 'Let him believe what he wants. If James thinks I'm the one pulling Cora's strings, that works to my advantage. I'll let him live in his delusion… and I'll use it to get exactly what I need from him.'

Then his eyes drifted away for a moment, focusing on nothing in particular as his mind shifted into strategy. Playing along was the smartest move, it would let him keep James close, learn what he truly had, and figure out the angle without exposing himself unnecessarily, he'll play along.