HE LOST HIS DAUGHTER ONCE, NOW HE’S A RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

THE SCAM BEHIND THE SMILE

"Yes! Thank you Mommy!" A big smile came back to Maggie's face.

Brandon looked at his wife one last time. He felt really disappointed in Lyra. She was like a stranger who didn't deserve to be called a mom.

He took Maggie's hand and turned toward the front door. He didn't look at the balloons or the gold banners.

"Let's go, Maggie," Brandon said, his voice smooth and empty.

As he gripped the door handle he looked back at Lyra. She was standing close to Jake again.

"Don't worry, Lyra," Brandon stated quietly, his voice cold enough to make the room feel colder. "Maggie and I are leaving now. From this moment on, neither of us will ever stand in the way of the life you clearly want."

His eyes lingered on Jake standing beside her before returning to Lyra.

"But remember one thing," Brandon continued. "You promised Maggie that you'd come see her tomorrow. So keep your promise for once."

His hand tightened around Maggie’s small fingers.

"Because after tomorrow… Neither she nor I will ask anything from you ever again.”

With that Brandon opened the door, stepped out onto the porch with Maggie and slammed the door shut behind them.

Inside the house, Lyra stood frozen near the staircase. As she watched Brandon disappear through the doorway, a strange fear gripped her heart… a fear that she might have just lost him forever.

But only for a moment.

Soon, her usual confidence returned. She shook her head dismissively before walking over to the sofa, convincing herself she was simply exhausted from stress and work.

“He’s just trying to make me feel guilty,” Lyra thought coldly as she leaned back against the cushions. “Brandon has loved me for seven years. No matter how angry he gets, he always comes back in the end.”

Deep down, she believed his words had only come from jealousy and frustration.

“Besides,” Lyra thought coldly, “where else would he even go? Apart from me and Maggie, Brandon has nothing else in his life. No real career, no ambitions, nothing outside this family.”

In her mind, Brandon wasn’t truly leaving her.

He simply wanted her attention.

She convinced herself that this fight was no different from the others.

She truly believed Brandon would return to her side eventually… just like he always had.

Meanwhile, standing quietly beside Lyra, Jake felt a surge of secret excitement rising inside him.

As he watched the front door close behind Brandon and Maggie, he nearly laughed out loud in satisfaction.

Brandon was finally gone.

The one person protecting Lyra from him had just walked away on his own, and now, the path to Lyra’s money was completely open.

“Lyra, don’t let Brandon’s attitude ruin your night,” Jake said smoothly, masking his excitement behind a calm, understanding smile as he pulled a thick folder from his briefcase and placed it carefully on the coffee table. “We still have something much more important to focus on tonight. These are the investment papers I prepared for our project.”

Lyra slowly relaxed and leaned back on the sofa before picking up the folder.

At this point, she trusted Jake completely.

To Lyra, Jake was the intelligent and dependable man who had stepped in to help save her company when everything had been falling apart.

“As you can see,” Jake said smoothly as he pointed at the charts spread across the table, though his heart was racing at the thought of the loan sharks waiting for their money, “this project is in extremely high demand. The investment window is closing fast, Lyra. If we don’t move quickly and secure the transfer tonight, another company could take the deal before morning.”

Lyra carefully studied the numbers in the folder, her brows slowly knitting together as she flipped through the pages.

As a businesswoman, she immediately understood what Jake was proposing.

This investment would require almost all of her company’s available funds, draining multiple accounts at once. It was an enormous risk.

But according to the financial projections Jake had prepared, the returns would be equally massive… enough to turn her company into a global empire worth billions.

After a long moment of silence, Lyra finally closed the folder and looked up at him.

“The numbers look impressive, Jake,” Lyra remarked slowly. “But this is far too much money to move without proper verification.”

She placed the folder down on the table before continuing calmly,

“I’ll have my financial team review everything first thing tomorrow morning. Once they verify the accounts, confirm the overseas partnerships, and clear the project legally, I’ll sign the agreement after Leo’s birthday party.”

Hearing those words Jake felt a chill and he became very anxious.

One final check? Tomorrow morning?

If Lyra’s financial team examined the numbers too carefully or contacted the overseas bank to verify the project, his entire scheme would collapse instantly. They would uncover the inconsistencies, trace the fake accounts, and realize the entire investment proposal was nothing more than a carefully planned scam.

Jake knew he couldn’t pressure Lyra too aggressively right now. The moment he pushed too hard or acted desperate for her signature, she would become suspicious… and everything he had worked for would fall apart.

With no other choice, Jake forced a warm smile onto his sweating face and gave a calm nod.

“Of course, Lyra,” he said smoothly. “Safety first. I completely understand. We can finalize everything tomorrow after your financial team finishes reviewing the documents.”

On the outside, Jake looked calm and patient, but inside, panic was slowly consuming him, because he knew the truth.

The moment Lyra’s financial team carefully reviewed those documents tomorrow morning, everything would start falling apart.

The fake numbers. The forged accounts. The entire scam.

Every lie he had built over the past six months would collapse instantly, and the countdown to his destruction had already begun.