Chapter 2
"Edward's going to bid on that parcel in South City next week, and his ceiling is 100 million dollars," I said.
Samuel raised an eyebrow. "You sure your intel's solid?"
"He'll win the bid, but three months later, an ancient tomb complex will be uncovered beneath the site. The project will be suspended, tying up his 100 million dollars."
I continued, "And all you need to do before then is buy out Voyager Logistics—the weakest link in his capital chain—at a high price."
He smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
"Interesting," he said.
He pulled out a card from his drawer and slid it across the table to me.
"There's 150,000 dollars on this card. Consider it your seed money," he said.
"Don't think you can just take the money and run, though. Your life is my collateral now," he warned in an icy tone.
This was both a chance and a test.
I took the card, stood up, and walked out.
"Pleasure doing business with you," I said.
Stepping out of the Grant Capital building, the sunlight fell on me, yet I could not feel the slightest warmth.
The road to revenge had only just begun.
With the money Samuel gave me, I rented a tiny apartment and, on a brand-new laptop, deliberately fed Edward's surveillance system a stream of fake intel.
I knew that in a week, Voyager Logistics would get exposed for smuggling illegal goods, and their stock would tank.
This knowledge from my rebirth gave me the upper hand, serving as my second pledge of allegiance to Samuel.
Everything was going according to plan.
I timed it to the second, pouring every last cent into the market just one minute before the scandal broke.
However, the stock price did not plummet off a cliff as anticipated. Instead, a massive influx of mysterious capital forcibly pushed it upward.
I stared at the screen, my eyes narrowing in realization.
Edward was indeed even more cunning than I had imagined.
My phone rang—it was Edward.
I took a deep breath and answered.
"Julia, do you really think you can turn the world upside down without me?"
He didn't bother to hide the sarcasm in his tone.
"You really think your little tricks can slip past me?" he sneered.
"I noticed something was off a week before the divorce. You really thought buying a new laptop on the sly would fool me? I had my guys install monitoring software on it.
"Every word you typed, every stock you searched for—it all got sent straight to my inbox in real time.
"I laid out the bait, and you jumped right at it."
A chill ran through me, but I kept my voice perfectly composed. "So that's how it is."
Blinded by my thirst for revenge, I'd missed too many details—but I wouldn't let it happen again.
"Do you honestly believe Samuel Grant is some kind of saint?"
Edward sneered down the line. "He's merely using you as a hound to sink your teeth into me.
"Once he grows tired of his little game, what do you suppose your fate will be?"
I didn't say a word—I just hung up.
The apartment was dead silent. As I stared at the crimson numbers on the screen, my mind became remarkably clear.
Edward thought he had everything under control, without realizing this was exactly what I wanted all along.
Just then, my landlord called, his voice sharp and clearly annoyed.
"Ms. Wynn, I'm not renting to you anymore. You need to move out today," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"I signed a one-year lease," I replied.
"Mr. Lane bought the whole building. He said he doesn't want you here," the landlord said.
My hands and feet turned ice-cold.
He was backing me into a dead end.
Broke and homeless, I was nothing but a stray dog kicked to the curb.
I had no choice but to call the one person I least wanted to talk to.
"Edward, my stuff is still at the villa. I need to go back and get it," I said.
"Sure," he chuckled on the other end. "Come back and beg me for it."
Half an hour later, I was standing at the door of the house I used to call home.