Chapter 2
Oliver lit a cigarette but didn't smoke it, just let it sit between his fingers.
The smoke swirled around him, his face hidden behind the haze.
After a long silence, he finally broke it.
"Do you hate him?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Why?"
"He deserves to die," I said, my voice flat.
Oliver stubbed out his cigarette.
"Okay," he replied.
"I'll have my lawyer bring the agreement over tomorrow."
He stood up and headed upstairs.
"Master bedroom's yours. I'll take the guest room," Oliver said.
Just then, the doorbell rang, loud and insistent.
No prizes for guessing who it was.
Oliver stopped and looked back at me.
I walked over to the front door and turned on the video doorbell.
Jason's face popped up on the screen, looking absolutely furious.
"Tina! Open the door! You need to give me an explanation today!" he shouted.
I pressed the talk button.
"Explain what?" I asked.
"Why did you do this? You humiliated me at the wedding and then married Oliver! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me?" Jason shouted.
His voice was so loud that the whole building could hear him.
I laughed.
"Embarrassing?"
"Did you ever care about that when you ditched me for another woman?" I shot back.
Jason was at a loss for words.
"Mira... She was in trouble. I was trying to help her," he stammered.
"Then get lost and go keep saving her," I said coldly.
"Don't bother my new husband and me."
With that, I hung up.
Outside, Jason, furious, kicked the door hard.
I turned off the screen and spun around.
Oliver was leaning on the banister, watching me.
"Well done," he said.
I didn't say anything.
Right then, my phone lit up—Jason was calling.
Without hesitation, I hit decline.
He tried again.
I hung up again.
On the third try, I finally picked up, ready to give him a piece of my mind.
But the voice on the other end was strained, suppressing fury.
"Tina, you better get your ass over here right now!" he snapped.
"Mira's on the verge of dying!"
I didn't go.
Oliver made sure I stayed put.
He took my phone and tossed it onto the couch.
"Go take a shower and get some sleep," he said.
"If the world ends, we'll handle it tomorrow."
I slept soundly that night.
In my previous life, insomnia had tortured me for a whole year before I jumped.
The next morning, Oliver's lawyer showed up with the agreement.
The terms were simple.
We'd be business partners—married for two years, nothing more.
For those two years, he'd help me take on Jason, and I'd give him all the "future intel" I had.
Our finances would stay separate, and we'd stay out of each other's business.
I signed the agreement.
"Oliver, here's to a good partnership," I said.
Oliver nodded.
"Jason was at the hospital all night," Oliver said.
"Mira's fine."
I wasn't surprised at all.
In my previous life, Mira's illness had been a bottomless pit.
Every time she was "on the brink," Jason would pour money and even his own blood into saving her.
"First thing we need to do is cut off his cash flow," I said.
"He's planning to buy a biotech company called Noah Pharma for an outrageous price, just to get Mira the treatment she needs."
"Noah Pharma is developing a breakthrough drug for that rare blood disease Mira has."
Oliver looked at me.
"So?" he asked.
"That drug's never going to get made. Noah Pharma's cash flow will collapse soon."
"All the money Jason's throwing in will go down the drain."
"We need to wait for Noah Pharma's stock to hit rock bottom, then swoop in and buy it up," I said.
Oliver smiled.
"Interesting."
He called his assistant right away and told him to handle it.
I headed straight to the hospital.
I pushed open the door to the VIP ward and found Jason sitting by Mira's bed, peeling an apple for her.
He jumped to his feet the moment he saw me, looking furious.
"You dare show your face here?" Jason barked.
Mira instantly went all soft and helpless, curling up under the covers.
"Tina, please don't blame Jason. It's all my fault," she whimpered.
I ignored her and walked straight up to Jason.
"I'm here to take back what's mine," I said.
Jason frowned.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"That watch on your wrist, the suit you're wearing, and the car you drove up in," I said, my voice cold.
"I bought them all."
"I don't want you using my stuff anymore. Hand it all over—right now."
Jason's face went purple with rage.
"Tina! You're crossing the line!" he snapped.
"Crossing the line?"
I laughed.
"Is that really too much, compared to you helping yourself to tens of millions from my company just to buy Noah Pharma?"
Jason was stunned.
"How did you find out?" he blurted out.
I ignored him and looked over at Mira in bed.