My husband put me out and kept all my assets just to hand them over to his mistress. All I have left is a worn-out debit card my father left me. I thought the balance was zero, but it ended up making the bank manager tremble with fear.

Zelica looked at Aniya.

“Consider it charity. You need it more than I do.”

She grabbed her tablet and walked out, leaving Aniya frozen in shame, turned into a spectacle for the entire café.

The bait game had worked.

Quacy was humiliated by the urgent need to hand over all his financial documents to Seek’s team. Meanwhile, Zelica humiliated Aniya in the café.

Seek’s team gathered in the war room of the Cascade mansion.

“This isn’t a company, Ms. Zelica,” Seek said, pointing at the large screen showing the cash flow of Quacy Constructions, Inc. “This is a house of cards built on air.”

“Explain,” Zelica said.

“First—materials,” Seek said. “He charges his clients for grade-A cement, but reports show he buys grade-C. He takes a forty percent profit just on material embezzlement. This is illegal and dangerous.”

Zelica remembered a small bridge project Quacy had bragged about. Her stomach turned.

“Second—debts,” Seek continued. “He doesn’t have bank debts. He’s too smart for that. He gets into debt with small suppliers—sand pits, local hardware stores, small equipment rental companies. He delays their payments for months, even years, knowing they don’t have the legal strength to fight him.”

The list of supplier names appeared on the screen. Zelica recognized some names.

“And third—taxes,” Seek said. “He keeps two books. One for himself, one for the IRS. His tax evasion is massive.”

Zelica sat in silence. The man she had been married to for ten years—the man she cared for when he was sick—turned out to be a scammer, an extortionist, and a thief.

“Good,” she said. Her voice was steady.

Seek looked at her.

“Good?”

“Yes. This gives us a weapon. What is the next step?”

“Quacy is only focused on us. On those 2,000 acres,” Seek explained. “He doesn’t realize that his debt to the small suppliers is his weakest point.”

“I want you,” Zelica said slowly. “I want you to buy all that debt.”

Seek smiled.

“I assumed so. I have prepared three shell companies in Delaware. We will buy every outstanding invoice from those suppliers. We will pay cash.”

“The suppliers will be happy,” Zelica said.

“They will be very happy,” Seek replied. “And Quacy will know nothing. He will only feel relieved because the collectors will stop calling him. He will think we are going to give him capital.”

“How much time?” Zelica asked.

“Give me a week. In a week, Quacy Constructions Inc. will no longer owe anything to the small merchants. He will owe you.”

Exactly as Seek predicted, Quacy suddenly felt his life was easier. The calls from angry suppliers stopped. He considered this a good sign. He thought the news that he was going to collaborate with Okafor Legacy Holdings had scared the suppliers off.

He was very wrong.

Feeling the pressure decrease, he decided it was time to take the last step. He had to secure Zelica—not on a business level, but personal.

He knew the old Zelica was weak, forgiving, and still loved him.

He sent a bouquet of white roses, her favorites back then, to the Cascade mansion with a note:

I know I was wrong. Let’s talk like old times. Dinner at our usual spot.

Zelica almost threw the flowers away, but Seek stopped her.

“Go,” he said. “Let him dig his own grave deeper.”

That night, Zelica went to the upscale restaurant where Quacy had once proposed to her.

He was already waiting. He looked impeccable. He ordered the most expensive wine.

“Zel,” he said, taking her hand across the table.

She allowed it. Her skin felt cold.

“I ask for your forgiveness.”

Zelica just looked at him, waiting.

“I know I was very wrong,” Quacy continued. His eyes got misty. His performance was perfect. “Aniya, she is just a toy. I was pressured. Zel, business is hard. And you—you were busy with your mother. I felt lonely.”

“So it was my fault? Was it my fault?” Zelica asked. Her voice was calm.

“No, no, it was my fault,” he rushed to correct himself. “I was blind. I didn’t see the diamond I had until I saw you in the meeting room the other day. I realized.”

“Realized what?”

“How fantastic you are. We can be the best team, Zel. We can start over.”

He leaned in.

“I’ve already left Aniya. She’s already out of the apartment.”

It was a lie. Aniya was shopping with his credit card at that very moment.

“We will dominate Atlanta,” he whispered. “You with your land, me with my expertise. Forget Seek. You don’t need him. You only need me.”

Zelica withdrew her hand slowly.

“Your seduction is good, Quacy. Better than your business presentation,” she said coldly.

He was surprised.

“Maybe you’re right,” Zelica continued, as if thinking.

Hope lit up again in his eyes.

“We really have to fix this,” she said, “but I can’t mix personal and business.”

“Sure, sure. Let’s finish the business matter first,” he agreed.