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

At that moment, the lady on the phone let out a faint sigh, the kind that carried a warning in it. Her voice lowered, sounding more serious and direct.

"Yes, Oliver... that's the right thing to do," she said. "You need to stop her, but listen carefully if you're not careful... if you don't do your due diligence before stepping in, this whole thing will scatter right in front of your eyes."

Then Oliver frowned, his brows pulled tightly together as he listened. The weight in her tone was making his chest feel heavier.

"I'm telling you," the woman continued, "it feels like you should just keep this in the dark. Work on it quietly... personally. Don't start raising alarms just yet. That might actually be the best approach right now."

Again Oliver's jaw tightened as he stared ahead, his mind swarming with conflicting thoughts. He could feel the urgency, but he didn't like the idea of sneaking around Cora, not when her position was at risk.

"Why?" Oliver asked, his voice firm but confused. "Why are you saying I should handle this personally? Why not just tell Cora everything straight up? She deserves to know what's going on. Why should I keep it from her?"

At that moment, the lady on the phone sighed lightly before speaking again, her tone low but certain, like someone following a gut feeling they couldn't shake off.

"Well... I don't know for sure," she admitted, "but my instincts are just telling me that it's better if we keep this away from Cora for now."

Oliver's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the idea, but he kept listening, his curiosity growing.

"James is smart," the lady continued. "Very smart. If we escalate this situation too soon if he senses that Cora knows what's going on, it'll make him alert. He'll feel the pressure, and if that happens, he might change his plans... or worse, change the structure of the shares or shift the power balance before we can act."

She paused, letting that sink in before adding, "But... there's something I discovered. Something that could give us an edge."

At that, Oliver sat up straighter, his eyes fixed ahead, his heartbeat steady but curious.

"What is it?" Oliver asked, his voice sharper now, demanding but calm. "What did you find? What edge are you talking about?"

At that moment, the lady on the phone continued, her voice firm and steady, but with a spark of urgency running through it.

"I just stumbled across something... purely by coincidence," she admitted.

"But the moment I saw it, I knew it was gold."

Oliver stayed silent, listening with sharp attention, his heart pacing faster.

"I discovered that the person who's currently holding and safeguarding James' 30%... he's a gambling addict," she revealed.

Oliver's eyes widened slightly, his expression tensing with focus.

"A serious one," the woman pressed on. "And from what I gathered, he's been playing dirty he recently did something with the shares James trusted him to hold. I don't have the full details yet, but he tampered with them... probably used them for leverage, maybe to cover his debts."

At that moment Oliver's jaw tightened as he stood up from his seat, pacing slowly across the room.

"This is dangerous for James... but it's the perfect opening for us," the woman said sharply. "That's why I'm telling you, you need to act immediately."

She paused, her voice turning colder. "If we play this right, Oliver... we can collapse James' hold on that 30% before he even realizes what's happening."

At that moment, Oliver stood by the window, one hand resting on the cold glass, the other holding the phone to his ear. His gaze was fixed outside, but his mind was tangled in confusion. The weight of everything the lady was saying had started to build up, but still, there was a piece missing in his understanding.

He shook his head slowly, his brows furrowed tightly.

"I'm still confused," Oliver said with a sigh. "Honestly, I don't get it. What does all this have to do with me? You're asking me not to tell Cora anything about it... so what's my place in all of this? Why am I the one who needs to do something?"

His voice was calm but firm, the kind of tone that demanded clarity, On the other end of the line, the lady chuckled lightly, as if she had been waiting for him to ask that question.

"Okay, let me explain this to you in the simplest way possible," she said, her voice steady and deliberate. "The man holding James' 30% the one safeguarding it he's a gambling addict. A heavy one."

Oliver's eyes narrowed slightly, his interest slowly rising.

"I followed the trail," she continued, "and I discovered that this man has actually used James' 30% shares as collateral. In his gambling debts."

Oliver's face twitched, his eyes shifting away from the window, now staring blankly at the floor as he processed that.

"Yes," the woman pressed on, "he gambled with the wrong people, and to save himself, he put the shares on the line. Now that share isn't as safe as James believes."

She paused, making sure Oliver was listening.

"This is your opportunity," she added, her tone sharpening with purpose. "If you move now, if you step in quietly, you can trace where those shares are being held as collateral. You can acquire them, secure them, or at least strike a deal that brings them to your side."

Oliver stood silently, his jaw tightening, his mind already spinning in calculations.

"And by doing that," the lady continued, "you'll be securing 30% of the company straight from James' blind side. No alarms, no noise."

She gave a slight chuckle.

"And don't forget, Oliver by doing that, you're indirectly helping Cora too. Whether she knows it or not."

At that moment, hearing everything the lady just said, Oliver stood still, his mind turning rapidly, but this time, it wasn't confusion it was intrigue. There was something about the way she laid it all out that sparked a curiosity and ambition deep inside him.

The thought of getting his hands on that 30%... it was tempting. No, it was more than tempting it was thrilling.

A smirk slowly formed on Oliver's face as he straightened his posture, the wheels in his mind already turning with possibilities.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Oliver said, his voice cool and measured. "I actually like this... I like this idea a lot. Getting that 30%? That's a really good play."

He chuckled lightly, pacing slowly back and forth, his steps calculated, without wasting any more time, he stopped in his tracks, his voice turning sharper.

"So tell me," he said into the phone, "how are we going to proceed with this? You've done your digging I know you've got something up your sleeve."

He paused briefly, then added with a slight grin, "You got any links I need to know about? A path you've already cleared? Or do I have to go in blind and figure it out myself?"

His tone was serious but laced with eagerness. He wanted in, but he wasn't foolish enough to dive in without a plan.

At that moment, the lady on the phone chuckled softly, her tone holding a bit of pride, like she had been waiting for Oliver to ask that question.

"Well... luckily for you, Oliver," she said smoothly, "you don't have to start digging or running around clueless. Coincidentally, my uncle... he runs that place."

Immediately Oliver's brows lifted slightly, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. The pieces were falling into place better than he expected.

"I just need to put a call through," the lady continued confidently. "Once I speak with him and explain things properly, I'll handle the necessary talking. Don't worry about that."

Oliver stood still, processing it all, then nodded to himself as he paced back toward his desk.

"Good," Oliver said calmly. "Then no problem. Go ahead. Do the needful."

But before he could say more, the lady chuckled again, this time with a slight teasing in her voice.

"Just so you know though," she added, "this is going to cost you. Money, Oliver. And not the small kind we're talking big money here."

Oliver chuckled lightly, shaking his head. He moved to sit on the edge of his desk, his face calm but determined.

"I don't care how much it costs," Oliver said confidently. "Whatever it is, I'll pay."

His voice was steady, the kind that didn't flinch when it came to spending for something like this. He knew what was at stake.

"No problem," the lady replied smoothly. "I'll arrange the meeting."

Then Oliver said, "No problem," his voice calm and final.

Then the call ended, the line going dead in his ear. For a moment, Oliver remained still, the phone still pressed to his ear as his mind drifted.

Slowly, he pulled the phone away and stared at the screen, his eyes dark with thought, then, almost like a whisper in his mind, he remembered the call from Cora.

She had called him not too long ago, saying she wanted to discuss something with him, his eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about it deeper.

"Could it be…" Oliver muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed ahead, "...that's what she wanted to say?"