Chapter 240

No.1

Elisa walked out of the kitchen, bypassing the tense living room entirely. She took the secondary hallway that cut through the Penthouse's indoor glass conservatory.

The room was a massive, climate-controlled glass box filled with rare, expensive tropical plants. The air was thick with humidity and the rich smell of damp earth and blooming orchids. It used to be her sanctuary.

As she stepped onto the stone path, the sharp,acrid smell of a lit cigar assaulted her senses.

Cyprian Thatcher was standing half-hidden behind a massive Monstera plant, looking out the glass at the city lights. He exhaled a thick cloud of blue smoke as Elisa approached.

He didn't look surprised to see her.

No.2

"That was quite the performance in the living room,Elisa," Cyprian said. His voice carried that familiar,

infuriating tone of aristocratic superiority.

Elisa stopped walking. She looked at him with dead eyes. "If you're looking for a thank you for humiliating Allena,you won't get one."

Cyprian chuckled, tapping his ash onto the soil of a potted fern. "I don't care about women's squabbles.I care about return on investment."

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. His analytical eyes swept over her cheap sweatpants.

No.3

"I just find you fascinatingly pathetic," Cyprian said,lowering his voice. "You give this grand speech about being blackmailed. But the truth is, you could have walked away. You could have let your grandfather die and taken your freedom."

He leaned in closer, the cigar smoke burning Elisa's eyes.

"Admit it, Elisa," Cyprian sneered. "You don't have the courage to leave. And it's not because of the wealth, but because you are addicted to this war. You would rather put your grandfather in the crosshairs than walk away and watch August and Allena win.

Your hatred for him has eclipsed your love for your own family. That is your true tragedy."

The sheer, arrogant ignorance of his words ignited a cold fire in Elisa's chest.

No.4

She didn't back away from the smoke. She stepped directly into his personal space, her face inches from his.

Cyprian's smirk faltered as he looked into her eyes.There was no sadness, no defense. There was only pure, unadulterated destruction.

"You know nothing about survival, Cyprian," Elisa whispered. Her voice was a terrifying, hollow sound."You sit in your ivory tower and think the world obeys your trust fund rules."

She raised her chin, her gaze slicing right through him.

"I didn't come back for the money," Elisa stated, her words dripping with lethal intent. "And I certainly didn't come back for that disgusting piece of trash in the living room."

No.5

She held his gaze, letting him see the absolute

monster she had become.

"I came back for a piece of paper that belongs to me," Elisa said softly. "But since you're all making it so. difficult, I might just decide to take the whole damned company instead. Your rules don't apply to me,Cyprian."

Cyprian physically stiffened. The hand holding the cigar trembled slightly. He realized, with a sudden jolt of adrenaline, that he wasn't looking at a victim.He was looking at a predator.

"Watch your wallet, Cyprian," Elisa warned coldly."Don't let the idiots drag you down."

No.6

She turned and walked out of the conservatory,leaving him standing in the smoke, staring after her with a deep, unsettling frown.

Elisa walked down the main hallway toward the guest room.

As she passed the open double doors of the master suite, her footsteps slowed.

Brenda and two other maids were inside. They were unpacking August's heavy leather duffel bags. They

were.hanging his cashmere sweaters in the closet and lining up his custom toiletries on the marble bathroom counter.

No.7

The physical reality hit Elisa like a punch to the gut.

August wasn't leaving. He was staying in the Penthouse. The cohabitation had officially begun.

Elisa's stomach twisted with revulsion. She quickly walked to the guest room, stepped inside, and slammed the heavy wooden door shut.

She reached up and violently threw both metal deadbolts into place. The loud clicks echoed in the quiet room. She leaned her back against the door,staring into the dark room.