“Why did you have to say that, Zane? How could you possibly destroy a company bigger than Vance Corp in just twenty-four hours? That makes no sense!” Luna scolded, panic breaking the silence that had filled the car for the last few minutes.Zane gave her a soft smile, still focused on the road. “I was only joking.”“What? Joking?” Luna’s eyes widened. “You went way too far. You need to apologize to them immediately before they throw you in jail.” For the first time, Luna was truly angry and disappointed.Zane only curved a faint smile, his eyes never leaving the highway.“I was just annoyed by their arrogance. You saw it yourself—how they mocked me.” Zane tried to defend himself. His expression turned blank, irritated that Luna was taking their side.“But they took your words as an insult. You could go to prison, Zane. The only way for you to be free is to actually make their company collapse in twenty-four hours,” Luna pressed. “But that’s impossible for us to do.” Her voice trembled

Zane froze for a moment. He had been too reckless to think about the consequences. The system would disappear if Luna found out he was actually rich.“Are you sure you’re not accusing the wrong person, Luna?” Zane forced a stiff laugh. “You should’ve been able to guess it was Louis. Gerald obeys me because I’m the Vice-CEO of Vance Corp.”Luna fell silent, not questioning it anymore. Zane was right. Louis must have been the one who ordered Gerald to capture them.Zane smiled when he saw Luna trust him again.Suddenly, a man walked up to them.“Are you Luna?”Both Zane and Luna frowned.“Yes, I am. And you are?”“You don’t remember me?” Edwin chuckled, his dimples showing, making him even more handsome.“Edwin?!” Luna’s smile widened. “I can’t believe we’re meeting again after so many years!”“I heard you’re successful now. Congratulations! I’m really proud of you,” Edwin praised warmly.Luna’s cheeks turned pink.Zane was confused and curious. It wasn’t like Luna to blush from a man’s

Luna held her breath. Her hands were trembling as she answered Louis’s call. The room around her, which had been lively a moment ago, now felt silent, leaving only the pounding in her chest.“Hello, Mr. Christopher?” Luna greeted politely, trying to hide her nervousness.“Good evening,” Louis replied flatly, none of his usual warmth present anymore. “I’m sure you’ve seen the news that just came out. I’m calling only to confirm that the news is true. Starting tomorrow, Vance Corp will return under Chrizen Corp. Your ownership is officially revoked according to my decision, Miss Christopher.”Luna felt her blood stop flowing. She looked at Edwin sitting beside her, and his eyes now carried nothing but coldness and disappointment.“How… how can this happen?” Luna whispered, as if afraid her voice would be heard by the guests still frozen while staring at their phones.“Of course, because of the issue with Leo and Miranda. Vance Corp’s income dropped, yet what you did was… going on a date

Meanwhile, at Le Fleur Restaurant, Manager Arlo walked back into his office with proud steps.“Mr. Arlo, you were amazing,” Sandra the receptionist whispered, her eyes filled with admiration. “You actually dared to turn away that cheap former CEO of Vance Corp. Mr. Christopher will definitely be proud of you.”“Of course,” Arlo replied smugly, adjusting his tie. “In this world, reputation is everything. We must protect Le Fleur’s status as a restaurant for the elite. She does not deserve to dine here.”His phone suddenly rang. Arlo glanced at the screen. It was a call from Nicolas Gwen, one of Le Fleur’s major investors and a very conservative real estate businessman.Arlo answered immediately. “Good evening, Mr. Nicholas. It is great to hear from you,” he greeted cheerfully.“Arlo, what did you just do?!” Nicolas shouted without hesitation.Arlo stiffened. “What do you mean, Mr. Nicholas? I do not understand.”“Do not pretend to be stupid. I just got a call from someone very importan

That afternoon, Luna sent a message to Zane.[Zane, you need to know this. Amalia is very competent. She managed to bring Helios Digital back. I think choosing her as Vice-CEO was the right decision. You should see her—she works nonstop.][Be careful, Luna. Don’t trust someone too easily. You don’t want what happened with Edwin to happen again, right?]Luna exhaled softly. She knew Zane cared, but his suspicion toward Amalia felt unfair now. To Luna, Amalia was the most reliable ally she had, someone who gave her the validation and confidence she’d been searching for.Meanwhile, Amalia continued executing her plans. Using her new position, she began enforcing several major changes in Vance Corp’s policies. She reassigned staff who were loyal to Zane into unimportant departments and promoted those who praised her quickly and were easy to control. She did all this using the excuse of “Christopher’s suggestions.”Everyone assumed Louis approved these decisions.That night, Amalia and Luna