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

At that moment, just as Cora was about to rise from her seat, Lovi quickly raised his hand halfway into the air, a gesture of surrender and plea all at once. His voice came out in a nervous chuckle, laced with urgency, "Cora, it hasn't gotten to that yet. Please, don't leave."

He sat forward slightly, suddenly dropping the slick, cocky attitude he usually carried like a badge. Now, his tone had shifted, it was calmer, almost serious, like someone who just realized they were walking too close to the edge.

"I understand you're angry, and you have every right to be. But I called you here for something real, something that could benefit you," he said, trying to hold her gaze as she glared back at him.

However Cora didn't flinch. Her expression remained cold, unimpressed. "Then start talking," she snapped. "I'm not here for your games. You've already wasted enough of my time."

Malisa remained silent, her eyes shifting between the two like a referee caught between two heavyweight fighters. The tension in the VIP room was thick, almost choking. Even the soft classical music playing quietly from the restaurant speakers seemed to fade in the background.

Lovi leaned back slightly, exhaled, and then gave a slow nod. "Okay. Fine. But first, Cora… just relax."

She didn't respond. Her arms remained crossed, and her lips pressed tightly together.

Then, Lovi said something that caught both Cora and Malisa off guard.

He sighed and said, "You can keep the money you were supposed to pay me for this job."

Malisa blinked.

Again Cora raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "What?"

Lovi nodded again, this time firmer. "I don't need it anymore."

Cora narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lovi, clearly trying to understand where he was going with all of this. Her voice was sharp, laced with disbelief.

"Lovi, you must be joking. So now you're saying you don't want the money we agreed on? Really?"

Lovi remained quiet, just watching her.

Cora continued, now clearly frustrated, "Don't tell me this is just one of those sneaky tricks, where you turn around and start demanding extra money, or trying to renegotiate behind the table. I don't have patience for that. And if that's what this is about, then I'm walking out of here now."

Malisa sat still, her hands lightly pressed on the table as she watched Cora's composure slowly slip. It wasn't like her to lose her cool, especially not in public, but it was clear this meeting had already pushed too many buttons.

But Lovi quickly raised his hand again, his voice more controlled now. "Cora, calm down. That's not what I'm doing here, okay? I'm not asking for more money. I'm not renegotiating."

He leaned forward, clasping his hands together over the table, then said slowly, "What I'm saying is that I don't need that money anymore. I mean it. That money is no longer important to me."

Cora tilted her head slightly, her suspicion not fading an inch. "Then what exactly do you want, Lovie? Speak clearly. You said this would benefit me, but so far, it sounds like you're stalling."

Lovi hesitated for a beat, then his lips parted, and he said with a more confident tone, "What I need now is something else. Something you can actually just do for me, something within your power."

He took a deep breath, watching Cora's expression closely before adding, "I heard that you recently acquired a company called ZXZ."

At that moment, before Cora could even utter a word, Malisa—who had been silently boiling, finally stepped in, unable to stay quiet anymore.

With sharp eyes and a firm tone, she looked Lovie directly in the face and said, "Excuse me, but what exactly does this have to do with the job we gave you? How is this connected in any way to what we assigned you to do?"

Her voice echoed slightly in the VIP room, firm and unwavering.

"You were not asked to interfere in Cora's personal affairs. You were not hired to investigate what companies she is acquiring or what her business empire is growing into. That wasn't the job description," she continued, now taking a step forward, placing herself right between Cora and Lovi as if to protect her.

Lovi's smile faltered slightly, but Malisa wasn't done.

"In fact," she said, voice sharper now, "instead of doing what we asked you to do, destroying all the files in James' possession and reporting only on that you decided to dig deeper into Cora's private life. Who gave you the right to trespass like that?"

Still Cora said nothing but folded her arms, watching closely. Her expression showed she was still weighing how to handle this.

Malisa took a breath and went on, her voice low but cold. "You've crossed a line, Lovi. And just in case you've forgotten this isn't some little street job where you can twist the contract whenever you like. You were given clear instructions, and you veered completely off course."

Her eyes didn't leave him for a second. "You are now talking about things that have absolutely nothing to do with your assignment. You think you're smart, trying to spin a deal out of information you weren't asked to get?"

Then she narrowed her gaze even further.

"Let me remind you of something, Lovi: you're not untouchable. You're not above consequences. We asked for a service, not for games. And believe me, if you think we'll let this slide, you're deeply mistaken."

She paused, glaring straight at him.

"We trusted you with sensitive information. Instead, you tried to play both sides. You're lucky Cora's still sitting here listening to you."

She then turned slightly to Cora and added, "I made a mistake this isn't a man we should trust. And if he keeps playing games, maybe it's time we show him just how untouchable he isn't."

Then, turning back to Lovie, she ended coldly, "You better get serious right now—because this isn't going to end well for you if you keep pushing your luck."

At that moment, Cora didn't say a word. She was still, hands clenched into fists on her lap now, her jaw tightened with fury. She didn't trust herself to speak. Not yet. The storm in her chest was too heavy, too hot. Her silence spoke louder than anything else, she was angry, deeply, dangerously angry.

But Lovie? He was still smiling.

That smile, that infuriating calmness on his face only made Melissa even more irritated, but before she could lash out again, Lovie raised a hand casually and leaned back in his seat like nothing serious was happening.

"Malisa," he said in a slow, almost amused tone, "you really need to calm down. I didn't go behind your back. I didn't investigate Cora or run around sniffing into her affairs. I never needed to."