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

At that moment, Cora paused. She sat there with the phone still pressed against her ear, her eyes staring at the wall ahead like something had just clicked in her mind. She didn't say anything for a few seconds, her lips pressed together, and her fingers lightly tapping on her desk.

Then she leaned forward, her voice calm but sharp.

"Malisa, wait," she said. "Come to think of it... why are you so interested in Oliver all of a sudden? Hm? Any little chance you get, you just find a way to bring up his name. It's like you can't even help yourself."

Cora shook her head slowly, a little smirk creeping onto her face.

"Remember when I asked you earlier? I asked if you had any feelings for Oliver, and you said no," Cora continued, her voice teasing but firm. "But here you are again, bringing him up out of nowhere. Why?"

She sat back in her chair, her hand moving to rest on her waist as she waited for an answer, though she didn't expect a straight one.

"If you have feelings for him, Malisa, just say it," Cora added, her tone light but deliberate. "There's nothing wrong with that. You're not a child, and I'm not going to bite your head off."

Then she smiled to herself and shook her head again.

"In fact, if you like Oliver, just tell me. I'll do my best to link both of you together. I'll make sure it works out one way or another."

Immediately her smile faded a little as her voice grew softer but serious.

"So why are you making things difficult for yourself, Melissa? Just say it already."

At that moment, hearing what Cora just said, Malisa's eyes widened a little, her mouth slightly open in surprise. She wasn't expecting Cora to spin the conversation that way, and for a brief second, she was speechless.

Immediately she sat up on her couch, blinking like someone who just got caught doing something wrong, even though she knew she didn't.

She chuckled lightly, shaking her head as she brought the phone closer to her ear.

"Cora, come on," Malisa said with a small laugh. "I've already made it clear to you — there's nothing between me and Oliver. I don't have any feelings for him, okay? Let that rest."

Then she adjusted herself on the couch and crossed her legs.

"The only reason I even brought his name up was because I was just curious. That's all," Malisa continued. "I was curious why you didn't just give it to him, considering how close you two are. But now that you've made your decision and you're giving it to Robert, then there's nothing to worry about anymore. It's settled."

Her tone was calm, like someone trying to dismiss the topic gently.

"Anyway," she added, her voice turning brisk, "I'll send Robert a message. I'll tell him that you want to have a business meeting with him. That should be the best way to present it."

She stretched her legs and stood up from the couch.

"Since we've finished talking about what's important, I guess I'll start getting ready to go now," Malisa said casually, as if she was already done with the call.

But just as she was about to pull the phone from her ear, Cora's voice cut in sharply.

"Wait," Cora said, her tone serious. "Don't go yet. I'm not done with you."

Malisa raised her brows, confused.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Malisa," Cora added, her voice firmer now. "Don't try to dodge it."

At that moment, Malisa sighed quietly and shook her head. She could already tell that Cora wasn't letting this go anytime soon, and honestly, she didn't have the energy to keep dragging the topic.

"Cora, I don't have anything else to say," Malisa said flatly. "I have work to do. I have plenty on my table today."

Her voice was sharp but still playful, as if she was trying to escape without causing more suspicion.

But Cora wasn't backing down. She chuckled softly and said, "Fine, Malisa. If you don't want to say anything, no problem. I'm not going to force you."

She smiled to herself, leaning back in her chair with her free hand resting behind her head.

"But I'll be watching," Cora added teasingly. "I'll watch and see if this your attitude of running away from the conversation will continue."

Then Malisa laughed lightly but didn't respond to that. Instead, she started saying, "Bye, Cora. Bye! I'll see you later, okay? Bye, bye!"

And before Cora could even say another word, Malisa ended the call.

The moment the call ended, Cora couldn't help herself, she burst into soft laughter, shaking her head slowly. She dropped her phone on the desk and covered her mouth with her hand, still smiling.

"I knew it," she muttered to herself. "Something is definitely going on. Malisa likes Oliver."

Cora smiled wider at the thought, feeling oddly pleased with herself. If that was truly the case, then she was going to make sure she did everything humanly possible to get the two of them together. She wasn't going to rest until it happened.

And now that the 20% was about to be secured with Robert, she knew she didn't have much to worry about anymore.

**

At that moment, James stepped into the house, looking calm but with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He looked like a man who had just won something, even if he wasn't showing it too much.

Emily was seated in the living room when she saw him walk in. She immediately stood up, watching his face carefully. She could tell something was up just by the way he was carrying himself.

Then without wasting time, she walked closer to him, her arms folded across her chest.

"What's going on, James?" Emily asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "The plan... it seems like it actually had a breakthrough, right?"

James chuckled lightly and started nodding his head, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"Yes," he said proudly, still nodding. "There's a breakthrough now. And trust me, this is going to be really, really interesting."

He walked further into the room, dropping his Car key on the table as he spoke.

"With everything I've planned and put in motion," James continued confidently, "ZXZ is going to be mine very soon. I'm just going to play a very slow and careful game with Cora. And before she even realizes it, everything will fall into place."

Emily stood there staring at him, her face showing clear confusion. She raised her hand slightly, trying to stop him.

"Wait, wait... I'm not following," Emily said. "What exactly are you planning, James? Are you trying to take over? Or are you planning to buy everything buy? What is this really about?"

Then James smiled faintly, looking at her with a calm expression.

"I've spoken to some people already," he said, his voice low but firm. "And the conversation went pretty well."

Again James smiled to himself as he moved to the bar shelf and poured himself a glass of wine. He swirled the glass slowly, his eyes fixed on the red liquid as if he was watching his plans come to life inside the cup.

"You see, Emily," he said, his voice calm but full of pride, "I've already requested back the 30% shares I distributed to those smaller investors. I've made the calls. Very soon, those shares will be returned to me."

He sipped the wine lightly, then looked at Emily with a confident grin.

"Once I get that back, that means I'll have 30% stake in ZXZ," James continued. "And there's no way I'm just going to fold my hands and stop here. That's not me. I won't just relax when I know I can push further."

He walked slowly across the living room, his steps steady, like a man in total control of his path.

"I've already spoken to some people," James said with a satisfied nod. "And the responses I got were better than I expected."

However Emily stood still, watching him, still trying to piece everything together. But James wasn't done.

"Now the next person on my list is William Victor," James added with a sly smile. "I'll be speaking to him very soon."

He took another sip and chuckled quietly.

"And I'm sure... I'm very sure William Victor will entertain me. He'll listen to what I have to say. If I can get him on board, that's it, I'll have even bigger leverage. A serious firepower on my side."

He looked at Emily, his eyes burning with ambition.

"This is just the beginning, Emily."

At that moment, Emily stood quietly, her eyes fixed on James. Deep inside, she was impressed more than she thought she would be. The way James was handling things, the speed, the confidence, the clear steps he was already taking... she didn't need anyone to tell her that he was serious about this.

He wasn't playing around. His determination was written all over his face, and his tone had the kind of sharpness that came from someone who wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted.

Emily opened her mouth, about to say something, to compliment him or at least admit she was impressed when suddenly James' phone rang.