Page 105 of Sinfully Yours

She clicks her tongue. "Darling, the fact that you still think you can outmaneuver me is adorable."

I exhale a quiet laugh, shaking my head. "Vanessa, you've spent months trying to sabotage me, and for what? Because I had the audacity to leave you? Because I wouldn't let you turn me into one of your designer accessories?"

She smiles, slow and glacial. "Oh, Liam." She leans forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm. "If I were still hung up on you, I'd have burned your life down properly. Not this slow, calculated dismantling."

I raise a brow. "So you are admitting to trying to ruin me?"

She tilts her head, mock-innocent. "Now, why would I do that?"

I don't rise to the bait. Instead, I smirk, pulling my phone from my pocket and placing it facedown on the table. Just the action is enough to make her eyes flick toward it—because she knows me. She knows I never put my phone down unless I'm trying to make a point.

"I spent some time going through old records," I say, keeping my voice casual. "Digging into a few things you left behind. Tyler helped, of course." I watch her expression tighten ever so slightly at his name, and I grin. "Turns out, you're quite the multitasker."

She rolls her eyes. "Spare me the dramatics."

I lean forward, matching her earlier stance. "Let's see. You've been buying up shares under shell companies, destabilizing Carter Holdings piece by piece. You've been strategically pushing lawsuits through third parties, knowing they'd pile up just enough to create doubt with my investors. And then, of course, there's the matter of Project Bennett."

Her smirk doesn't falter, but something flickers in her gaze.

I smile.Got you.

"That's quite the collection you had," I continue, watching her reaction closely. "Schedules. Financials. Photographs." My voice drops just slightly. "You really should have been more careful about where you stored them."

Vanessa sighs, sitting back in her chair, tapping a polished nail against the rim of her coffee cup. "And?"

I arch a brow. "And?"

She shrugs. "Congratulations, Liam. You found my receipts. Do you want a medal? Or are you hoping I'll throw my hands up and confess?" She tilts her head, amusement flashing in her expression. "Because I won't."

"No," I say easily. "You won't." I reach for my coffee, taking a slow sip before setting it back down. "But you will slip up."

She scoffs. "Please. If anyone is cracking under pressure, it's that little pet of yours."

I don't react.

She narrows her eyes, watching me closely, waiting for a tell.

Nothing.

She smirks again. "Come now, Liam. You must see it. The way she clings to you. The way she wants so desperately to believe you're some kind of hero. That's why I let her spiral." She shrugs, careless. "It was fun. Watching her start to doubt you, watching her wonder if she was just another pawn in your game." Her voice lowers, tilting into something cruel. "You think she really trusts you?"

I don't blink. "I know she does."

Her smile is all teeth. "For now."

I drum my fingers against the table, tilting my head. "It's interesting," I muse, "that you're spending all this energy trying to break Ava, trying to turn her against me." I lean in just slightly, lowering my voice. "Almost as if you're threatened."

Vanessa's smile falters, just for a second.

She recovers quickly, exhaling a slow, deliberate breath. "Threatened? By her?" She laughs lightly, shaking her head. "Darling, please. She's not a threat. She's just collateral damage."

That? That pisses me off. "Collateral damage," I repeat, voice carefully controlled.

She sighs dramatically, as if this conversation is exhausting her. "Oh, Liam, you're being so tedious. You always were." She waves a hand. "Do you want to know why I'm really winning?" She lifts her phone again, tilting it toward me. "Because you're still playing by the rules."

I glance at the screen. A string of emails, news alerts. My fake leak.

Vanessa smirks, victorious. "You think you're forcing my hand, but darling… I always have an out." She leans in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "And if I were you, I'd be very, very careful about what happens next."

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