On the way back, I suddenly remembered a very crucial person. Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and made a call, issuing a few instructions. There was no room for error in what I was planning.
Not long after I lay down in my apartment, I heard the sound of the door unlocking.
I didn't get up immediately. Instead, I listened, tracking her movements. The slight hesitation in her steps, the hurried rustling of her bag, the soft creak of the mirror cabinet as she undoubtedly checked her appearance.
Finally, I stepped out of the bedroom, my movements deliberate.
Vanessa flinched the moment she saw me. Her eyes widened and her hand instinctively shot up to her neck, but she was too slow. I had already seen them—the faint, deep-red marks marring her skin. She hurriedly adjusted her collar, tugging it up in a futile attempt to hide the evidence of her betrayal.
"Honey, you're still up?" she asked, forcing a smile.
I responded evenly, "Yeah, just got back from the office."
Her smile faltered for a split second before she masked it with an exaggerated pout. "I just went to the office to look for you, but I didn't expect you to come home early. Geez, I made the trip for nothing. You have to make it up to me."
Saying this, she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around mine, leaning in as she always did when she wanted to manipulate me.
In the past, I had been utterly weak to this act of hers. I would have given in without hesitation, drawn in by the illusion of her affection. I would have pulled her close, murmured reassurances and allowed her to convince me that she truly cared.
But now? I felt nothing. Calmly, I removed her arms from mine and stepped back.
Vanessa blinked in surprise, but she quickly recovered, tilting her head with a feigned look of concern. "Honey, what's wrong? You're not still mad just because I defended Tristan earlier, are you?"
Her voice carried the same gentle persuasion she had used countless times before, as if I were some naive fool easily swayed by her words.
"I just think that you shouldn't be so distant with Tristan," she continued, her tone light but insistent. "Before, you guys used to exchange gifts so easily, but this time you hesitated. Of course, he's going to overthink that."
She sighed dramatically, as if my actions were unreasonable. "You wouldn't be where you are today without Tristan. If you have a falling out with him, who will come help you if you need it? I'm saying this for your own good. Why not just accept the house?"
I sneered inwardly. Saying it was for my own good, yet she was setting me up to be killed.
Without revealing my emotions, I replied coldly, "Since you think the house is great, why don't you move there instead?"
Vanessa's expression shifted in an instant. "Charlie, what the hell are you talking about?! I'm your wife and you have the nerve to say something like that!"
Her voice grew shrill, her face contorting with anger. "My parents were so blind to have made me marry a man like you, someone with no vision!"
I let out a cold chuckle. "Yeah, I have no vision. Otherwise, I wouldn't have married a woman like you."
That was the final straw. Vanessa's face twisted with rage and before I could react, she grabbed the nearest object—a porcelain cup—and hurled it at me.
The cup struck my forehead, shattering on impact. A sharp sting erupted across my skin as warm blood trickled down my temple.
Vanessa pointed a trembling finger at me. "Charlie, do you still want to stay married or not?! If you do, then take that damn house! I've been with you for so many years—even if you don't want to live there, I do!"
She was still pushing for it, still trying to maneuver me into that death trap.
"I even planned a celebration banquet in your name to build up your reputation and this is how you repay me? You've disappointed me!"
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen—Zane, the company's current CFO.
"Mr. Ross, your wife said there's a celebration banquet this evening. I saw you weren't at the office, so I wanted to remind you to come early. The guys are getting impatient."
A banquet? So, this was her next move. I had no idea what Vanessa was plotting, but since the company had just gone public, it wouldn't be good to dampen employee morale.
I sighed and agreed.
Vanessa, seeing that I had given in, smiled in satisfaction. She patted my arm, her earlier anger vanishing as if it had never existed. "Good. Don't let me down, okay? Be sure to attend."
That evening, I arrived at the venue she had chosen.
Something felt off.
I noted the location immediately—it was less than a hundred yards away from that mansion.
Inside the hotel, the banquet hall was already lively. Many employees had arrived and the air buzzed with chatter.
But my eyes landed on two specific figures standing by the bar. Oscar and Bruno.
A frown crept onto my face.
"Oscar, Bruno, what are you two doing here?"
These two had spent the last year slacking off, violating company policies and harassing female employees. I had been meaning to fire them, but Tristan had protected them.
