The dawn didn't bring peace to the capital; it brought the scent of a brewing storm. By 8:00 AM, my father's study—now my study—echoed with the frantic ringing of the landline. I didn't answer it. I sat by the window, sipping a cup of bitter black coffee, watching the digital ticker of the stock market.
The Cross Group's pre-market shares were dipping. Only by 2%, but for Julian Cross, who prided himself on absolute stability, it was a slap in the face.
Hiss. Click. Hiss. Click.
The sound of the ventilator from my previous life still echoed in the back of my mind, a phantom metronome. Every time I felt a flicker of hesitation, that sound reminded me of the cold surgical table.
[Ding! 'Analytical Eye' activated.]
[Scanning World Narrative... Target: Julian Cross.]
[Weakness Identified: 'Arrogant Reliance'. He believes you are his property. He hasn't checked his backup servers in 48 hours.]
I smiled. In my past life, I was the one who managed those servers. I knew the password wasn't a date or a name—it was the coordinates of the place where he first told me he loved me. A romantic gesture that was actually a cage.
The heavy doors of the study burst open. No one knocked. No one asked for permission. Julian marched in, his eyes bloodshot, his silk tie loosened—a rare sight of disarray for the "King of the North."
"Sophia! What is the meaning of this?" He slammed a tablet onto my desk. On the screen was a leaked internal memo from the Stuart Conglomerate, announcing the immediate suspension of all joint ventures with the Cross Group. "I've been calling you for three hours. The board is in a frenzy. Fix this. Now."
I didn't stand up. I didn't even flinch. I slowly set my coffee cup down, the porcelain clicking against the wood with a deliberate, agonizing slowness.
"Fix it?" I looked up, meeting his gaze. "Julian, you seem to be under a delusion. You don't give orders in this house anymore. You are a guest. And frankly, a guest who has overstayed his welcome."
Julian let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. He leaned over the desk, his shadow engulfing me, trying to use the same physical intimidation that had kept me submissive for a decade. "Is this about the gala? The champagne? Sophia, I get it. You're angry. You want attention. But this is business. You're playing with billions of dollars because of a temper tantrum."
"A temper tantrum?" I stood up, and for the first time, I was the one looking down at him from the height of my father's chair. "Julian, you didn't just want my family's money. You wanted my heart—literally. I know about the clinic. I know about the donation forms you forced my uncle to sign while I was 'incapacitated' in a dream you hadn't even realized I was having yet."
Julian's face went stiff. The blood drained from his cheeks. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. You're hallucinating. You've been under too much stress."
[Ding! Target's Luck is leaking! Plundered: +150 Luck Points!]
[Target's Mental Guard: Cracked.]
"Am I?" I pulled a single sheet of paper from a drawer. It was a copy of the port license agreement. "Without this, your shipments of raw materials for the North Project are stuck in the harbor. Every hour they sit there, you lose five million. By the end of the week, the Cross Group will be facing a liquidity crisis."
"You wouldn't," Julian whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and genuine fear. "You love me, Sophia. You've always been my shadow. You can't survive without me."
"Shadows only exist when there's a light, Julian," I said, stepping around the desk until I was inches from him. I reached out and adjusted his crooked tie, a gesture that looked intimate but felt like a noose tightening. "But I've realized... you aren't the sun. You're just a flickering candle I've been shielding with my bare hands for far too long. My hands are burnt, Julian. And I'm tired of holding the flame."
I turned my back on him, walking toward the window. "Leave. My lawyer will be sending over the formal dissolution of our engagement and the lawsuit for the embezzlement of Stuart funds. If you're lucky, you'll have enough left to buy Clara a cheap bouquet for her faked funeral."
"You'll regret this!" Julian screamed, his voice cracking. "I will crush you, Sophia! I built you! I can destroy you!"
"You didn't build me," I replied, looking at his reflection in the window. "You just used me as the foundation. And Julian? The foundation just moved."
As he stormed out, the system chimed in my ear, a sweet, melodic sound.
[Ding! Small High Point Reached! 'The King's Humiliation' achieved.]
[Luck Value increased to +800! Life Force: +15 Days.]
[System Notice: The Male Lead's 'Protagonist Aura' has weakened. New Target Unlocked: The Council of Elders.]
I looked down at the black diamond on my finger. It felt warmer now. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It wasn't a call from Julian. It was an encrypted message from an unknown number.
『The King is bleeding. Shall we go for the throat, little bird? — K』
My heart skipped a beat. Klaus was watching. He wasn't just a partner; he was a spectator in a game he had probably rigged from the start. I didn't care. As long as I was the one holding the knife this time, I would dance with the devil himself.