The Prometheus crisis was snowballing out of control.
After First Heart Capital invested in Corei Pharmaceuticals, it became clear this wasn't just a financial move. They demonstrated staggering integration power—releasing impressive preclinical data and poaching several of Ai Group's core researchers, including the lead scientist most familiar with the compound's structure.
At the same time, several suppliers who had been in talks with Ai Group abruptly delayed or canceled their contracts. Rumors swirled: First Heart had offered better prices and more generous terms.
Ai Group's stock continued to plummet. In the boardroom, the atmosphere grew heavier by the day. Every pair of eyes turned toward Emma, sharp with doubt.
"President Ai, we can't go on like this! We need a countermeasure—now!"
"R&D is behind schedule, key personnel are gone, suppliers are pulling out… Prometheus is on the verge of collapse!"
"That Gu Liang—what does he want? Is he trying to destroy us?!"
Emma sat at the head of the table, expressionless. She knew exactly what Gu Liang wanted. Revenge. To make her taste the bitter fruit she'd sown. To destroy what she valued most—her career and her family's legacy.
And she had no way to stop him.
Against overwhelming force and surgical precision, her usual business tactics were useless. Gu Liang was a master strategist—every move calculated, every step ahead.
Then, her father, Ai Mingyuan, proposed a solution no one expected.
"Marriage," he said, voice cutting through the silence. "With the Li family."
The room erupted.
The Lis were an old-money family with deep roots in real estate and finance. Their youngest son, Li Zhe, was a Beta with a decent reputation. Most importantly, the Lis controlled a critical alternative supply chain for Prometheus, and had the capital to help Ai Group withstand First Heart's assault.
"This is the fastest, most effective solution," Ai Mingyuan said, eyes locked on Emma. "Old Master Li has agreed—on the condition of a marriage alliance. Emma, you're the heir of the Ai family. This is your responsibility."
Responsibility.
The word landed like a mountain on her chest.
She opened her mouth to object. To refuse. She had just clawed her way out of a relationship that had drained her. How could she walk into another—loveless, transactional?
But her father's unyielding gaze, the desperate hope in the board members' eyes… every protest died in her throat.
She thought of Gu Liang's cold, unreadable eyes. Of First Heart's relentless siege. Of Prometheus teetering on the edge. Of her family's fortune evaporating.
Did she have a choice?
No.
From the moment she hurt Gu Liang in the name of "freedom," from the moment he revealed his ruthless hand—her choices had been stripped away.
A marriage to buy her family time. How laughable. How real.
"…Fine." The word scraped from her throat, dry and lifeless.
The news spread quickly.
The Ai–Li engagement sent ripples through the market. Stocks stabilized. The board breathed easier.
Emma, meanwhile, became a puppet. She met Li Zhe, dined with him, attended public events. They played the perfect couple—handsome and accomplished. Li Zhe was polite, even gentle, but distant. There was no spark.
Emma went through the motions, numb. Too tired to feel sorrow. Just… exhausted.
Then, just as the engagement ceremony was being finalized, someone unexpected walked into her office.
Gu Liang.
No appointment. No warning. Her assistant tried to stop him, but the two bodyguards at his side blocked her with ease.
He wore a black turtleneck under a long charcoal coat, his pale skin and sharp aura even more striking. He walked straight to her desk, eyes calm, as if none of their past had ever happened.
Emma's heart nearly leapt from her chest. The mark flared—her pheromones surged, cedar and whiskey flooding the room. She forced herself to stay composed, leaning back in her chair.
"Mr. Gu," she said coolly. "To what do I owe the honor?"
Gu Liang ignored the barbs. His gaze fell on the open engagement proposal on her desk. His lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
"I heard you're getting engaged. Congratulations."
Emma's fingers clenched, nails digging into her palm. "Thanks to you."
Gu Liang chuckled—cold, humorless. "Why so bitter? The Lis are powerful. Li Zhe's a decent match. Isn't this the best outcome for you and Ai Group?"
Every word was salt in her wounds.
"What do you want?" she snapped, eyes burning.
He stepped closer, hands on her desk, leaning in. His white tea pheromones cut through her stormy scent, cool and sharp.
His voice was low, but absolute.
"What I want is…"
"Cancel the engagement."
Emma froze. She thought she misheard.
"You… what?"
Gu Liang straightened, pulled a document from his coat, and tossed it onto her desk.
A marriage contract. No—more like a one-sided agreement. It demanded a transfer of her Ai Group shares, absolute pheromonal fidelity, sole custody of future children… and more.
"Sign it," he said, as if discussing the weather. "Then announce that you're marrying me."
Emma stared at him, then at the absurd contract.
"You're insane!" she shouted, standing. "Gu Liang, what the hell is this?! Haven't you humiliated me enough?!"
"Humiliation?" he tilted his head, eyes gleaming with cruel innocence. "Why would this be humiliating? I'm offering you—and Ai Group—a better deal."
He continued, unhurried. "Compared to the Lis, First Heart can provide more capital, more tech. Marry me, and Prometheus is saved. Your stock rebounds. And…"
He paused, gaze locking onto her pale, furious face.
"…you won't have to marry a Beta you don't love. Isn't that what you always wanted? Freedom?"
Freedom. Spoken like a curse.
Emma went cold. She finally understood.
Gu Liang's revenge was never just about destroying her company.
He wanted everything she did to him—returned with interest. He wanted to strip her of choice. Bind her to him. Make her suffer, publicly, endlessly.
He wanted her to marry the man she once discarded—because she had no other option.
He wanted her to live in a marriage forged from hatred. To drown in it.
And did she have a choice?
No.
Not with that contract. Not with those eyes—cold, calculating, inevitable.
Just like when she ended things without giving him a choice.
Karma.
Emma sank back into her chair, drained. Her fingers trembled as she picked up the pen.
The scratch of ink on paper sounded like a funeral dirge.
She signed her name. And sealed her fate.
Gu Liang took the contract, glanced at it, folded it neatly, and slipped it into his coat.
At the door, he paused.
"The wedding's next month. I'll have everything arranged."
Then he left.
Emma sat alone, her cedar whiskey pheromones thick with despair.
She had lost.
Her career. Her freedom. Her last shred of dignity.
She was being forced to marry the man she once threw away.
And the farce she started… Had reached its cruelest, most ironic climax.