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

'Why act like this was some moral ground she needed to stand on?'

William said to himself as he gritted his teeth. This wasn't over. No matter what she said, no matter how coldly she dismissed him, he wasn't done, he was going to get her—even if it meant going down a darker path.

But for now…William forced a fake, hollow smile onto his face. The kind of smile that barely reached his eyes, then he bent slightly, dropped the giant bouquet of roses right there on the pavement—petals scattering, falling.

Then, without even picking his phone or looking back at the cameras around, he turned and shamelessly walked into his car.

When William stormed into his car, the door slammed with a force that shook the windows. His breath was already uneven, his chest rising and falling like a man on the edge. He didn't even sit properly before both of his hands slammed violently against the steering wheel.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Again and again, he punched it so hard the car horn went off once, then twice before it gave out. But he didn't stop. His knuckles cracked against the leather, his veins bulging in fury. With every strike, his frustration grew louder than the pain that slowly formed in his bleeding fists.

"Damn you, Oliver!" he roared, slamming the steering one more time.

He winced. Blood smeared faintly on the wheel, but he didn't care.

"This is all your fault! You ruined everything!" he spat through his clenched teeth, gripping the steering so tightly it seemed it would break off. "You sneaky little bastard!"

Then he sat back violently in his seat, his jaw clenched, nostrils flaring. He stared at the bouquet on the pavement through the side mirror—the roses lying crushed and pathetic under the sun, just like his plan.

"This was supposed to be my moment," he hissed. "Cora would have never treated me like that… never! But now…"

His eyes narrowed, darkened.

"It's Oliver. It's definitely him," he said slowly, as though putting the pieces together in his head. "He's the one whispering trash into her ears. Poisoning her. Acting like he's the calm and gentle one, like he's so damn perfect."

William scoffed bitterly. "If he hadn't shown up… If he had just minded his business like he always does… she would've seen me."

He was fuming now, veins twitching on his neck.

"But no," he continued, mockingly. "Oliver the great. Oliver the favorite. The quiet one who suddenly thinks he can stand up to me. He thinks I'm going to back down and watch him destroy what's mine?"

He leaned forward again, gripping the steering like a man possessed.

"This is the height of it," he growled, his voice low and venomous. "You want to play dirty, Oliver? Fine. I'll play dirty. You think I'm going to fold my arms and let you take the one thing I want? The one thing that I've been fighting for?"

Then he paused, his lips trembling with hatred.

"You're wrong," he whispered, shaking his head. "I'm not folding. I'm not running. I'm not retreating."

At that moment a small, dangerous smile crept across his bruised lips.

"You want war?" he said quietly. "Then get yourself ready, little brother… because I'm coming."

At that moment, William's breathing was still heavy, his heart racing with uncontrollable fury. Blood still trickled from the bruises on his knuckles, but his mind wasn't on the pain—no, it was far beyond that now. His vision was red. Rage. Jealousy. Shame. All swirling together into something dark.

Without wasting any more time, he wiped his hands with a rough tissue from the dashboard, yanked his phone from the seat, and unlocked it with one sharp swipe.

He scrolled past a few names, most of them contacts he had long forgotten but he paused when he got to one: "Big Jay - Work Only."

His thumb hovered for a moment. Then, with no hesitation, he pressed Call.

The phone rang just once.

"Boss," a gruff voice answered instantly.

However William didn't waste time.

"I have a job for you. I want it done today. No delay, no mistakes."

Hearing Williams words Big Jay straightened up from wherever he was. He could hear something in William's voice—something raw and dangerous. "Talk to me."

William gritted his teeth. "My brother, Oliver. I want you to teach him a lesson."

Big Jay's breath caught. "Oliver?" he echoed, confused.

"Yes, Oliver," William snapped, his voice sharp like a blade. "I want the job to be clean. Swift. I don't want him killed—I'm not a lunatic. But I want him beaten. Beaten to the point that he won't be able to walk or move for at least two weeks."

Big Jay was silent. Then, uncertainly, he said, "Boss… wait, did I hear you right? You said, your brother? You want your own brother beaten up? Badly?"

William's voice turned colder.

"Are you deaf?" he hissed. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I said beat him, mercilessly. Leave no bone untouched. I don't want him walking out of that house feeling proud or strong. Break his damn pride."

Big Jay blinked, the weight of the request sinking in. He didn't know what history or beef was going on inside the family, but one thing was clear, William wasn't playing.

"I said beat him, like enough to the point that he will not be able to move for two weeks or more."

Immediately, Big jay on the phone then just nod his head, saying, "No problem, I've heard you, and I will do as you say immediately."

Without wasting any more time, William would then end the call and just hold the phone so tight within his hands that his knuckles turned white. His jaw clenched, the tension in his face refusing to ease as he stared at nothing in particular, lost in the boiling thoughts circling his head.

And then, through gritted teeth, almost like a vow to himself, he muttered, "Very soon… Oliver won't even know what hit him. That will be the lesson he'll never forget."

He let out a bitter breath and looked down at his bruised knuckles again.

"Next time," he said under his breath, "he should stay clear from everything that has to do with me."

**

Oliver was still on his way inside his room when, all of a sudden, his phone started ringing. The sharp sound cut through the early morning silence, making him pause mid-step. Curious, he pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. It was Cora.

His brows furrowed slightly in surprise. Cora rarely called him this early, if ever. It wasn't like her at all. Normally, she would send a short message or call later in the day if she needed anything. So, what could be serious enough for her to break that pattern?

Without wasting time, he answered the call and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello? Cora? What's going on? This isn't like you to call me this early," he said with concern in his voice.

Cora's voice came through immediately, slightly tense but calm.

"I called you because something important just happened… and I seriously need to inform you about this. I'm not happy at all."

Oliver slowly sat down on the edge of his bed. He could tell from the tone of her voice that this wasn't something casual. He rubbed the back of his neck as he replied, "Well… I think I understand what's going on. It's about William, right?"

There was a brief pause, then, Cora said firmly, "Yes. It is about him."

At that moment, Oliver would then shake his head in disappointment, a long sigh slipping from his lips. He rubbed his forehead as if trying to calm the rising frustration that was already starting to build. "What did William do this time?" he asked, though deep down, he had a feeling the answer wouldn't surprise him.

Cora didn't hold back. Her tone was sharp and annoyed as she began, "William actually came to my company yes, all the way to the front of the building just to disgrace himself again. With a huge bouquet of roses! He scattered them everywhere, made a whole mess in front of the staff. Just to what? To confess his love to me again?"

Hearing what Cora just said, Oliver closed his eyes briefly, already feeling the headache coming on.

Cora continued, clearly getting more agitated as she spoke. "I've rejected him, how many times? Over and over. I've said no, but he just doesn't get it. He disrupted the flow of work, caused a whole scene. My staff were taking pictures, laughing, recording everything. And you know what that means, right? Rumors. They'll start thinking I have something going on with him. And I don't. I don't want anyone thinking that. It pisses me off, Oliver."

At that moment she paused briefly, then added, "So that's why I'm calling you. Talk to your brother. Tell him to stay away from me. I'm serious. If he ever tries something like this again, I'm not going to take it lightly with him next time."