Chapter 2

The emcee called for the bride to enter.

I gathered my gown and walked out.

Myron stood at the far end of the lights, smiling, one hand held out to me.

Rings exchanged, toasts made, photos taken.

When we reached the table for the company, I saw Roberta Baxter, the mannish assistant Myron was always complaining was causing trouble.

She was dressed loose as ever, short hair, seated among a few of the executives. The moment she saw me coming, she stood up with her glass.

"Ms. Cooley, congratulations on your marriage."

Her makeup was pale and plain as always, nothing to hint at the chestnut waves that lay under that wig.

I glanced at the red mark on her neck.

"Secretary Baxter isn't drinking today?"

Her fingers paused, then she smiled quickly.

"My stomach's been off lately, and Mr. Vance told me to go easy. I need to stay on call to handle any emergencies for you and Mr. Vance."

Myron took the glass from her hand, easy about it.

"She's been running herself ragged over the wedding for me lately, and her stomach's acting up again. Don't worry about her. I'll drink for her."

He tipped his head back and downed it.

The system gave a cold snort.

【Just how blind are you? That mannish assistant of Myron the animal, one look and you can tell she's a first-class snake!】

【I'd already burned myself out and retired. If you hadn't spent your whole last life down in the underworld wailing "I'm sorry" to me day after day after that animal killed you, I wouldn't have gotten mad enough to claw my way back from the dead!】

【Forgot to mention: tonight was the night this animal was going to finish you off. If I hadn't come back to save your sorry life, you'd be done for!】

Listening to the system's exasperated scolding, my eyes went hot. I swallowed the tears and thanked it silently.

Half an hour later, the reception still hadn't broken up.

Over at Solaris, the first round of document verification was already done.

Karen messaged me to confirm we'd go through the confidentiality procedure and transfer the shares under witness by a professional agency.

I slipped back to the dressing room and made another call.

"Academician Dickerson, it's Constance Cooley. About the free-transfer plan for the Skyvault Project we discussed six months ago, I agree to it."

The other end went noticeably quiet.

"Ms. Cooley, hasn't Mr. Vance been against this all along? Just last month he came to us personally and said Cooley had no plans to transfer for now."

My tone was firm.

"Cooley's projects are my call."

The Skyvault Project was the special research program Cooley had poured the most into over the years.

Six months ago, the top national research institute had offered to take the whole thing on, technology, database, and research staff all transferred in, with no acquisition payment.

It had always been the public research program my parents led while they were alive, funded to contribute to science.

When Myron found out, he lost his temper with me for the first time.

He produced so-called evidence, accusing Academician Dickerson's team of academic misconduct. I believed him completely at the time, and had no choice but to put the donation on hold.

But just now the system had laid their behind-the-scenes maneuvering out in front of me, and only then did I learn he was no crusader against wrongdoing.

He'd lined up a buyer overseas long ago, waiting only for the wedding to end so he could take over every project in my name, then use my company seal to dump the results of this confidential project, one tied to a breakthrough in research materials, for a fire-sale seventy million dollars.

The system cursed him up and down.

【Lower than an animal. Nothing I hate more than a traitor who sells out his own country for a payday!】

【Last life, this was exactly the day he stole your seal authorization and sold this research project off. You got a case opened against you for allegedly providing classified research data illegally to a foreign party, and while you were out on bail Myron shot you full of sleeping pills and staged your suicide out of guilt!】

Academician Dickerson said quickly,

"The prior approvals and assessments are all done. If you confirm, we can process the final transfer first thing tomorrow morning."

"We can confirm the transfer now. Send me the transfer contract right away and I'll sign online."

I hung up, and just as I set the phone down, the system spoke up.

【Brad Vance, the company's administrative director, just went into your chairman's office.】

【The safe in your office has been opened.】

I pressed down on my wildly twitching right eyelid and gave a cold laugh.

"Let them steal it. My shares are already sold and transferred. The seal in that safe carries no legal effect now."

After the reception ended, Myron, all eagerness, wanted to drag me straight to the county clerk's office to register our marriage.

"Connie, let's go get the license now."

Out of the corner of my eye I caught the dark wall of bodyguards behind him, and made myself sound anxious.

"But we can't register yet! Didn't you say you didn't want me getting shortchanged, that we'd agreed you'd transfer me the hundred-million-dollar bride gift you've saved up for me all these years before the wedding?"

The words had barely left my mouth when Myron's face went black.