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

At that moment the silence in the room grew heavy. Malisa clenched her jaw, her eyes fixed on Lovi as he went on. Cora's arms remained crossed, her fingers slightly trembling—not from fear, but from sheer fury at the idea of James somehow crawling his way back into her empire.

Then Lovi leaned forward, placing both elbows on the table, locking eyes with Cora.

"That's why this 20% matters. Right now, that remaining portion is still tied to you, still under your name, even if indirectly. That means James has legal grounds to argue that a merger benefits both parties. He can build a case around joint interest, shared assets, and company performance post-investment. And believe me, I'm sure his legal team is already working overtime."

He took a breath before delivering the key part. "So, the only way to stop that—permanently—is to transfer the 20% to a neutral third party. Someone who is not in the picture. Someone that James cannot trace to you or tie into your web. It has to look like a genuine offload. Like you gave up that portion for reasons totally unrelated to the feud."

Malisa quickly asked, "But even if we transfer it, what if James still argues the intent behind it?"

Immediately Lovi smirked, "That's where the brilliance comes in. It can also be argued that the transfer was done to avoid bias, not out of spite. It would look like an effort to neutralize things. That way, James can't say you're blocking the merger out of vengeance, and you can't be accused of hoarding power. In court, that 20% becomes a wall—a wall James cannot climb."

At that moment Cora was quiet, but her eyes now focused sharply. She hated being told what to do, but even more than that, she hated being cornered. And from the look of things, Lovi wasn't trying to control her, he was giving her a survival plan. A shield. One that might just give her the upper hand again.

Lovi ended with, "It has to be done quickly. And it has to be someone James doesn't even know exists."

At that moment, Lovi leaned back in his chair like a man who had just revealed the final piece of a perfectly constructed puzzle. A confident, slow smile crept across his face as his eyes flicked between Cora and Malisa. The air in the VIP room grew noticeably tense.

"That," he said, his voice smooth and deliberate, "is where I actually come in."

Cora narrowed her eyes instantly. Melissa raised a brow, her lips pressing into a tight line.

Lovi continued, not giving them a chance to interrupt. "That 20%... should be transferred to me."

The room fell into a cold, eerie silence, Cora didn't move. Malisa blinked once, stunned. But Lovie wasn't done.

"I want to hold onto it," he said plainly. "As my leverage."

He clasped his hands together in front of him on the table and leaned slightly forward, keeping eye contact with Cora. "Let me be clear, Miss Cora. This isn't about trying to steal your company or power. This is about protection, my protection. I've already risked a lot sticking my neck out for you. I destroyed files that could've changed everything. I took sides your side in a war I don't even belong in. And from what I see, this war is just beginning. You think James is going to walk away from this without burning everything in his path?"

Then he gave a short laugh—dry, humorless.

"No. He won't. And when that happens, the only way I survive is if I have something solid to hold onto. Something that makes me impossible to erase. That 20% is not just leverage. It's insurance. For the job I've already done, for what I've uncovered, for the information I'm about to give you, and for every risk I'll take from now on."

Immediately Malisa scoffed, "So now you want to hold a whole 20% of ZXZ? Are you out of your mind, Lovi?"

But he raised a hand calmly. "Let's not pretend that 20% is just any number. That 20% is the line between James and a complete takeover. That 20% is the firewall standing between control and chaos. If I hold it neutrally, legally it blocks him. I become the third party. James won't even know what hit him."

He turned back to Cora and said softly, "You said you don't trust people easily. Good. Neither do I. That's why I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to make a move that protects us both."

He sat back and exhaled. "Let me hold the 20%. Keep your 50%. Let James stew over his 30% and his failed court moves. And if you ever feel like you're done with me… we'll settle it. I'm not greedy, Cora. I just want to live. And I want to know that after everything I've done, I wasn't played either."

Then he paused, waiting, the ball was now in Cora's court. But her face remained unreadable.

At that moment, Cora leaned back slightly, her fingers lightly tapping against the table. The tension in the air hadn't lifted, but her demeanor had shifted—calm, composed, but firm. She cleared her throat quietly, the subtle sound cutting through the silence like a small ripple across still water. All eyes turned to her.

"Now I understand," she said slowly, her gaze locked onto Lovi's face. Her tone was steady, almost quiet, but every word carried weight. "Now I understand what this is really about. This isn't about loyalty or justice. This was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it?"

Lovi didn't answer. He simply raised his brows a little and remained silent, watching her.

"You came into this job pretending to be the neutral one," Cora went on, "but you had your eyes on something bigger. I can see that now."

She let her words hang in the air for a moment before continuing, her voice growing more assertive. "But let me make something clear to you, Lovi. I've made my decision."

Malisa straightened up at her side, listening.

"I know what's at stake here. I know what giving up that 20% could mean. And I know how much of a threat James is—believe me, more than you can imagine. But if you think I'm going to hand over 20% of ZXZ to you… you're mistaken."

Lovie's expression barely shifted, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

"You want assurance?" she said firmly. "You'll get it. I'll give you my word that no harm will come to you. You've helped us already, and I won't double-cross you. You can be rest assured of that."