There are two kinds of power:
The kind that crushes, and the kind that makes you want to be crushed.
Tonight, Damon Qin wanted the second.
But Liana Zhou?
She came wrapped in the first—sharp heels, soft silk, and a soul carved from ice.
Scene: Late Evening – Qin Mansion, Private Study
The door slammed.
Damon tossed his phone onto the desk. Shen Ruoyi's forwarded footage still burned behind his eyes:
Liana outplaying Mr. Liang.
Liana lying through her teeth.
Liana becoming a threat.
And yet—
He didn't feel anger.
He felt obsession.
Confusion.
A tightness in his chest he couldn't define.
So when she walked into the study moments later—fresh from a bath, robe tied carelessly at her waist, face bare—he forgot the footage.
Forgot the threats.
Forgot everything except her.
"You planned it," he said.
She raised a brow. "You'll need to narrow that down. I plan a lot of things."
"Liang. The boardroom stunt. You're manipulating this company."
"I'm influencing outcomes," she corrected. "Isn't that what wives do?"
"You're not my wife yet."
She stepped closer. "Then stop calling me that."
Scene: Tension Tightens
He reached for her wrist—gently. Carefully.
But she jerked it back like he'd drawn a knife.
"Don't," she said.
"I wasn't going to hurt you."
"That's the problem," she whispered. "You already did."
Beat.
"I'm not the man I was—"
"And I'm not the woman you married," she snapped. "That girl bled herself dry for your scraps. I'd rather drown you now than beg again."
That hit him. Visibly.
But Damon wasn't built to back down.
He stepped closer again. Slowly. Like he was circling a wild animal.
"You act like I never cared."
She laughed, low and bitter. "Cared? You once told me I was a placeholder."
His face twisted. "I never—"
"I remember it," she said. "Clearer than your vows."
Silence.
The kind that stings the throat.
Scene: The Touch
He tried again—reached up, fingers brushing her cheek.
This time, she didn't flinch.
But her eyes were empty.
"You think this is about feelings?" she asked. "This is about control. About consequences. And I'm both."
His hand dropped. Useless.
"Then why stay?" he whispered. "Why say yes to me at all?"
She smiled.
"You don't cage a tiger by building a fence," she said. "You let it think it's the hunter."
Then she turned.
Left the room.
Left him standing there with the scent of her still on his skin, and the cold sting of reality in his chest.
Scene: Damon Alone – Minutes Later
He looked at the ring on his desk. Her engagement ring.
He'd designed it himself. Platinum. Understated. Sharp edges.
Just like her now.
He clenched it in his fist.
"She's not pretending anymore," he muttered.
"She's winning."
Scene: Liana's Bedroom – Same Night
She stared at herself in the mirror.
Not in pity. Not in pain.
In strategy.
Damon was unraveling.
Ruoyi was watching.
Liang was leaking.
All the players were moving exactly how she wanted.
But why… why did his touch still echo?
Only for a second.
Then she shut it down.
She picked up her phone. Texted one number:
> "Pull the files on Project Equinox. I want everything Damon buried."
The past wouldn't stay buried for long.
Across the city, the private investigator's screen lit up.
And on it—
A video file titled: "Zhou Incident – Confidential."
Liana's death wasn't an accident.
And Damon wasn't as innocent as he pretended to be.