The moment Victoria's words settled fully into his mind, Kai allowed himself a slow, satisfied nod, the corners of his mouth curling into something between amusement and cold calculation."No problem at all," he said, his voice smooth and controlled despite the darkness of what he was orchestrating. "I completely agree with that approach. It's flawless, really, when you think about it carefully. Just imagine the scenario unfolding exactly as planned. Megan dies under mysterious, unexplainable circumstances, somewhere far removed from her father, and around the very same time, Mr. Bushman collapses in his own home, his heart simply giving out, or so everyone will be led to believe. No one will think to connect the two deaths. No one will suspect foul play in either case. Everyone will simply mourn a grieving family struck twice by unfortunate tragedy, never once considering that both deaths were meticulously engineered."He paused, savoring the elegance of the plan as it played out in

Megan stood there, unmoved, unshaken, her posture radiating a calm so foreign to Kai that it almost frightened him more than any outburst of rage could have. There was no tremble in her lips, no glassy sheen of tears threatening to spill from her eyes, no desperate softness in her voice begging for reconciliation. She simply stood, arms loosely at her sides, watching him with an expression that seemed almost clinical in its detachment, as though she were studying a stranger rather than the man she had shared years of her life with.This wasn't the Megan he remembered.The Megan he knew, the one he had carefully cultivated and shaped over the years, would have crumbled the moment his voice rose in anger. She would have rushed to smooth things over, to reassure him, to apologize even when she had done nothing wrong. That version of Megan lived in constant fear of disappointing him, constant fear of losing him, constant fear of the consequences that came whenever he unleashed his temper.

Megan glanced around slowly, taking in the men surrounding her, the one standing directly in front of her, the one positioned behind her, and the one lingering just to her side, their presence forming a tight, suffocating circle from which there seemed to be no escape. Despite the danger closing in around her, she let out a bitter, humorless laugh, shaking her head slowly."So this is how low you've truly sunk," she said, her voice carrying equal parts disbelief and disgust. "I should have known. I should have seen this coming from the very beginning, Kai. All of this, everything that's been happening, the manipulation, the lies, the fabricated story about William, all of it has been you this entire time."She paused, her eyes glistening with restrained emotion, though her voice remained steady, controlled despite the storm raging within her."I'm disappointed," she continued. "But more than that, I'm disgusted. Terribly, terribly disgusted by everything you've done."Kai's expression

Kai began clapping slowly, mockingly, a wide, unsettling grin spreading across his face as he stared directly at William."Wow," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I honestly wasn't planning on dealing with you just yet. I thought I'd save you for last, savor the moment a little longer before finally putting an end to your interference. But it seems the universe has decided otherwise. It's decided to hand you over to me sooner than expected, and honestly, I couldn't be happier about that."He chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with malicious anticipation."I'm going to enjoy this so thoroughly, William. You have no idea how much satisfaction I'm going to get from finally putting you in your place. You've ruined so much for me, exposed so many things, made me look like an absolute fool in front of everyone who matters. And now, since fate has conveniently delivered you straight into my hands alongside Megan, why not take advantage of the situation entirely? Why settle for one v

Tears streamed freely down Kai's face now, his earlier arrogance completely evaporated, replaced entirely by desperate, groveling panic. His hands trembled as he reached toward Megan, though he remained kneeling, too weak or too afraid to rise fully to his feet."I'm so sorry," he sobbed, his voice cracking with each word. "I'm sorry, Megan. Please, please forgive me. I never meant for things to spiral this far out of control. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. None of it. I was blinded, consumed entirely by greed, by ambition, by the desperate need to hold onto everything I thought I deserved. I let that darkness cloud every decision I made."He shuffled forward slightly on his knees, his hands clasped together as though praying, his eyes pleading desperately for even the smallest flicker of mercy."Please forgive me for not telling you the truth from the beginning. I'm begging you, Megan. Please. Don't do this to me. Don't walk away from me like this. I'm begging you, please, fo