2026-08-27 17:10:27“What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet since we left,” Adrian Rivers asked.
He was driving toward the Imperial Lounge, where he and Sarah planned to spend the rest of the day.
Sarah drew a deep breath.
She still could not stop thinking about what had happened with Damian that morning.
When they woke up, he had been as affectionate as ever. He had always obeyed her and given in to whatever she wanted.
Then, in the blink of an eye, something changed.
“It’s Damian,” she said. “Something was wrong with him this morning.”
Adrian’s brows immediately drew together.
He knew Sarah was obsessed with him, but he still could not suppress his jealousy whenever she mentioned her husband.
“Why?” he asked with a laugh. “Did he tell you he was leaving you?”
Sarah fell silent.
This was not the first time Damian had threatened her with divorce. Usually, he would not even last five minutes before following her around, apologizing and begging her to forgive him.
But today?
Her phone had remained strangely silent.
Adrian’s laughter became uneasy.
“What? Did he really say that?”
“Well… kind of.” Sarah looked out the window. “But I know Damian. It won’t last. I’m sure he’s already crying and trying to find out where I went.”
Adrian nearly rolled his eyes.
“So what, Sarah? You don’t need him anymore. The Cross heir has his eyes on you. Shouldn’t you focus on him instead of that useless husband of yours?”
Adrian remained Sarah’s lover, but he did not care how many other men surrounded her.
He had his own reason for staying.
Sarah loved him too much.
Whatever Adrian wanted, she would do everything she could to give it to him—even if it meant using her connection with the mysterious Cross heir to secure a deal for Rivers Trading.
“It’s not that simple,” Sarah insisted. “Damian is still useful to me. I can’t just remove him from my life.”
“Useful for what? Annoying you?”
Sarah bit her lip.
Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Damian had helped her.
She did not know how he had done it, but she was certain he was the reason she had been hired by Cross Corporation. For an ordinary security guard, Damian had a strange talent for putting her in the right place at the right time.
“Let’s stop talking about him.” Sarah changed the subject. “How is your proposal with Cross Corporation?”
A wide smile spread across Adrian’s face.
“It’s going well, my love. Mr. Cross finally agreed to meet me tomorrow.”
Sarah clapped excitedly.
“Yes! I knew you could do it!”
Adrian laughed. “Of course. Who could possibly reject my proposal? The partnership will benefit both companies.”
He smirked.
The truth was that Rivers Trading was already drowning in debt.
The company handled imported goods, marine equipment, warehouse storage, and cargo brokerage for larger corporations. On paper, it looked respectable. In reality, its vessels were leased, its loans were overdue, and several of its suppliers existed only to inflate expenses.
The Cross contract was Adrian’s final chance to inject money into the company and escape Greyhaven before his creditors closed in.
Cross Corporation was the country’s largest shipping and logistics conglomerate. It already had its own import-export network, but Adrian believed Sarah’s connection with the Cross heir would force the corporation to approve his unnecessary partnership.
“I’m so proud of you, Adrian.”
Sarah held his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
“And because of that… we should celebrate today,” she whispered seductively.
Adrian’s grin widened.
See that, Damian? Your wife belongs to me. No matter how much of a fool you make of yourself, I’ll always be the man she wants.
Before long, they arrived at the Imperial Lounge.
Sarah confidently entered through the VIP entrance with her hand wrapped around Adrian’s arm, as though they were a married couple.
“We reserved a villa on the top floor,” she told the receptionist.
Sarah took out the black card Mr. Cross had supposedly sent her and handed it across the counter.
Damian had personally given the card to her during their honeymoon. Since it appeared to have an unlimited spending limit, Sarah never bothered asking how her security-guard husband had obtained it.
She simply assumed that it had been another gift from the Cross heir after her wedding.
“The same villa, Ms. Moore?” the receptionist asked with a courteous smile as she accepted the card.
“Of course.”
This was not the first time Sarah and Adrian had come there together.
Whenever they met, they reserved the Imperial Lounge’s largest villa on the top floor. Only celebrities, influential officials, and billionaires could afford it.
As long as Sarah possessed the black card, she and Adrian could enter whenever they pleased.
The receptionist swiped the card.
Her smile faltered.
She tried again.
Then a third time.
Sarah noticed the growing tension on the woman’s face.
“What’s wrong?” she demanded. “Why is this taking so long?”
The receptionist swallowed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Moore. Your card has been declined.”
Sarah’s brows snapped together.
“What did you say? How could it be declined? Try it again.”
“Yes,” Adrian added impatiently. “We come here often, and that is the card we always use. There is no way it could be declined.”
The receptionist nodded. “Of course, sir. I’ll try once more.”
An unexpected sense of dread settled in Sarah’s chest.
How could this have happened?
The card came from Mr. Cross—the heir to the largest shipping empire in the country. It could not possibly have run out of money.
The receptionist released a nervous breath and returned the card.
“I’m very sorry, Ms. Moore. The transaction is still being declined.”
Sarah stared at her.
“You—”
Before she could finish, her phone rang.
She snatched it from her bag and answered when she saw her mother’s name.
“Mom, not now—”
“Sarah Moore! What happened? Did you offend Mr. Cross?”
Sarah winced and moved the phone away from her ear.
“What is it, Mom? Calm down and tell me what happened.”
“Mr. Cross canceled my card! What is going on?”
“What?”
Sarah went pale.
She looked at Adrian, then at the receptionist waiting behind the counter.
Her mind returned to Damian.
His cold eyes that morning.
The divorce.
The way he had allowed her to leave without begging her to return.
Sarah took an unsteady step backward.
Did he just…?
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Chapter 34
Damian couldn't believe what he was seeing.He knew his mother loved taking care of plants, but he had never imagined she would have eight rare plant species in her collection. Even more surprising, he had successfully obtained seeds from every single one of them."Wow! You really have all of these?" Damian asked in disbelief.From the Pennantia baylisiana to the dragon's blood tree, his mother had them all. Any botanist or scientist who studied these plants would be amazed to see such a collection."Of course. I couldn't get my hands on the other species because they're simply too rare. But someday, I'll find them, too."Damian grinned.He knew that day would never come."I'll only take the seeds."Charlene rolled her eyes. "Fine. But take only one seed from each plant."Damian smiled. Carefully, he picked up the eight seeds, each stored in its own small container. Then he transferred them into his realm."I'll go see Dad now. Don't leave the house, and try contacting Eleanor. Tell h
Chapter 33
Damian arrived at the Cross Estate. One thing immediately caught his attention: there were noticeably more plants surrounding the house. Even the terraces were now lined with potted plants. At this rate, they might as well start putting plants on the roof, too."Looks like they're preparing as well."Damian smiled. It seemed he didn't have to worry too much about his family after all.He entered the estate and headed straight for the mansion. There were potted plants inside, too, scattered around the interior."Damian? My son! What are you doing here?"His mother, Charlene Cross, hurried over and wrapped him in a tight hug, as if she hadn't seen him in years. Well, considering how long it had been since he'd last visited, she wasn't entirely wrong."Can't I visit you now?"Charlene rolled her eyes at him."Why? Did your wonderful wife finally give you permission?"Damian sighed. "I've already told you. We're divorced."Charlene waved dismissively."Whatever. Come on. It's so hot these
Chapter 32
"Ding! New task available! Collect different types of seeds!"Damian was stunned when he heard his latest task."Seeds? Where am I supposed to find those?" he muttered, shaking his head. "Do I have to collect all of them, System?""Yes, Master!"Damian scratched his head in frustration. He waved his hand and checked the system interface.[Collect ten rare seeds to complete the task.]He blinked."System, what does this mean?""Master, you only need to collect ten rare seeds of any kind to complete the task. You don't need to collect every type."Damian thought about it for a moment. That would certainly make things easier for him."Well, I might as well look for rare seeds, then."He immediately began preparing to leave.Only a few weeks remained before the catastrophe arrived. He needed to hurry and finish his preparations before it was too late.Today, he decided to visit his parents' house to work on his new task. His mother loved taking care of plants, so he hoped she might have s
Chapter 31
Damian couldn't help smirking as he watched the news. Hospitals were nearly overwhelmed with people suffering from the extreme heat that day.Some had suffered heatstroke, both the elderly and the young. Others had sustained burns, their skin looking as though they had been scorched by fire. But the worst part was that many people had already lost their lives because of the heat.It was a tragic sight. However, Damian had done his best to warn them."I tried to warn them," Damian said.It wasn't as if he had kept the information to himself. He had anonymously posted articles online, warning people about the extreme heat that day and even the catastrophe that was yet to come.But most people hadn't believed him. Some had even called him crazy.He checked his posts again."OMG! It actually happened! How did this guy predict it?!""I woke up sweating earlier. Good thing I read this post. I immediately put on sunscreen, even though I was staying indoors!""Bullshit! For all we know, he ju
Chapter 30
Damian smirked when he saw two new buildings standing inside his realm.“Ding! New factories unlocked! Manufacturing Factory!”“The host can now automatically produce household items and clothing.”“Self-Care Factory. The host can now manufacture personal care products.”“All items produced by these factories possess special properties when used.”Damian's smirk widened.His suspicion had been correct.Every time he brought raw materials into his realm, a factory capable of processing them would become available. As long as he had the necessary materials, he could produce whatever he needed without relying on outside suppliers.“Wow, Damian! Your powers are amazing!” Naomi exclaimed, staring at the buildings in amazement.She still couldn't get over everything she had witnessed.Damian gave her a small smile.“Thanks to the system.”Naomi frowned.“What system?”Damian gave her a meaningful look but didn't explain further. Even if he told her the truth, she probably wouldn't understan
Chapter 29
Naomi had been fanning herself with her hand for quite some time.Sweat was already dripping down her face despite being inside an air-conditioned room.It didn't help that her mini fan had already run out of battery. And honestly, it hadn't been much help anyway. The air it had been blowing felt almost as hot as fire.The weather today was strange.The heat seemed to seep straight into her skin, even while she was inside a building.“Everything is loaded, Ms. Grant,” the mall staff member assigned to handle her purchases reported.He handed her a sheet of paper listing all the supplies she had purchased.This was already the eighth mall Naomi had visited just to buy everything Damian had ordered.The trucks accompanying her were almost completely full.It was already afternoon, which meant it was time to deliver everything to the warehouse.There were already other materials there—supplies Damian had previously ordered through her.“Good.”Naomi signed the paperwork and walked toward
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