By three in the afternoon, the Qin family’s emergency board meeting had already begun.

I knew because Ha An’s phone had not stopped vibrating since we left the hotel.

One message after another.

Qin Corporation shares were falling.

The Thanh Dong project had been suspended.

Two subcontractors were demanding early payment.

And the most interesting one—

Chairman Qin had ordered Tan Dich to return to the family residence immediately.

Ha An glanced at me from the passenger seat.

“Sister Moc, should we release the rest of the cancellation notices?”

I looked through the car window.

North City passed outside in a blur.

“No.”

She turned around in surprise.

“But we still have six joint projects.”

“I know.”

“Then why keep them?”

I smiled faintly.

“Because cutting everything at once would only make them desperate.”

I picked up the tablet in front of me.

“I want them to have hope.”

Ha An stared at me.

I continued calmly:

“People make the worst decisions when they think they can still save themselves.”

She understood immediately.

The Moc family had not become North City’s most powerful family because we were impulsive.

My father once taught me something very simple.

If an opponent falls into the water, do not rush to push his head down.

First let him believe he can climb back onto the boat.

Then see what he is willing to sacrifice for the rope.

My phone rang.

Tan Dich.

First call.

I rejected it.

Thirty seconds later, he called again.

Rejected.

Then again.

After the fifth call, Ha An smiled.

“He finally knows how waiting feels.”

I didn’t answer.

Because once upon a time, seeing his name appear on my screen would have made my heart race.

Seven years.

From nineteen to twenty-six.

I had spent nearly a third of my life loving that man.

I knew how he took his coffee.

I knew he hated thunderstorms but pretended not to.

I knew he rubbed the scar beneath his thumb whenever he was anxious.

I even knew that when he was truly angry, he became quieter instead of louder.

Yet apparently, after seven years, I still had not known one thing.

How little he respected me.

At 4:20 p.m., the Moc family residence came into view.

My father was waiting in the living room.

He did not ask whether I was sad.

He simply poured me a cup of tea.

“You waited four hours?”

“Yes.”

“Too long.”

I lowered my eyes.

“I wanted to give seven years a proper ending.”

Father was silent for a moment.

Then he pushed the tea toward me.

“Finished?”

“Finished.”

Only then did his expression soften.

“Good.”

That single word almost made me cry.

Not because I regretted anything.

But because throughout those four humiliating hours, I had known exactly what my father would do if I gave the order.

He could have sent someone to drag Tan Dich to the engagement ceremony.

He could have crushed the Qin family before noon.

He had done neither.

He let me make my own choice.

My phone rang again.

This time, it was Chairman Qin.

Father looked at the screen.

“Answer it.”

I did.

The old man’s exhausted voice came through immediately.

“Moc An.”

“Chairman Qin.”

He paused when he heard the formal title.

For seven years, I had called him Grandpa Qin.

“Moc An, what happened today was Tan Dich’s fault.”

I said nothing.

“I have already punished him.”

Still nothing.

“The engagement concerns both families. Young people sometimes act impulsively. We shouldn’t let one misunderstanding destroy—”

“It wasn’t a misunderstanding.”

The other end went quiet.

I continued:

“Your grandson arrived three hours late with another woman on his arm.”

“He was confused.”

“He told me publicly to cancel the engagement if I couldn’t wait.”

Chairman Qin sighed heavily.

“He didn’t think you actually would.”

I smiled.

“That is exactly the problem.”

They had all believed the same thing.

That I loved Tan Dich too much to leave.

That no matter how far he went, I would endure it.

That the Moc family’s daughter, despite having everything, would become pathetic the moment love was involved.

Chairman Qin lowered his voice.

“The Qin family will give you an explanation.”

“I no longer need one.”

“Moc An—”

“Chairman Qin.”

I looked at the empty place where my engagement ring had been.

“The engagement ended at two o’clock this afternoon.”

I hung up.

At almost six, the Qin family finally arrived.

Not one person.

Seven cars.

Chairman Qin.

Tan Dich’s parents.

Three senior members of the Qin family.

And Tan Dich himself.

Father didn’t allow them into the main house.

They were received in the outer hall.

A very clear message.

They were no longer relatives.

When I entered, everyone stood.

Except Tan Dich.

He sat on the sofa, jaw tight, his expression colder than the marble beneath his feet.

The champagne-dressed woman from the hotel was nowhere to be seen.

His mother approached me first.

“Moc An, Auntie knows you suffered today.”

Auntie.

Interesting.

Apparently I was still close enough to be family when billions were at stake.

She reached for my hand.

I stepped aside.

Her fingers froze in midair.

Chairman Qin cleared his throat.

“We came to discuss restoring the engagement.”

“There is nothing to restore.”

Tan Dich finally looked at me.

“You’ve made enough trouble.”

The entire room went silent.

His mother’s face changed.

“Tan Dich!”

But I almost laughed.

Even now.

After losing financing.

After losing contracts.

After being dragged here by his entire family.

He still thought I was throwing a tantrum.

I sat opposite him.

“Tell me. What trouble did I make?”

“You publicly embarrassed both families.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“I embarrassed you?”

“You could have waited until we were home to discuss it.”

“I waited four hours.”

“That isn’t what I mean.”

“Then explain.”

His fingers pressed against his knee.

There it was.

That old scar beneath his thumb.

He was anxious.

But his pride still prevented him from admitting it.

Finally, he said:

“Lin Xue had just returned from overseas. She had an anxiety attack. I couldn’t leave her alone.”

So she had a name.

Lin Xue.

The first love everyone had whispered about.

I nodded.

“And?”

He frowned.

“What do you mean, and?”

“You comforted her. Brought her to my engagement. Let her hold your arm. Then told your fiancée in front of hundreds of people that she could cancel the marriage if she couldn’t endure it.”

I leaned back.

“Which part am I supposed to admire?”

His face darkened.

“Nothing happened between us.”

I smiled.

“Tan Dich, whether you slept with her or not stopped mattering the moment you used another woman to humiliate me.”

For the first time, he had no immediate answer.

His father slammed a hand against the table.

“Apologize!”

Tan Dich’s jaw tightened.

No words came.

His grandfather closed his eyes.

I suddenly understood.

Even now, they expected me to give him a ladder.

So I stood.

“There’s nothing else to discuss.”

Tan Dich shot to his feet.

“Moc An.”

I kept walking.

Then he said behind me:

“If the Qin family collapses because of this, do you really think the Moc family will remain untouched?”

I stopped.

The room became deathly quiet.

My father’s expression turned cold.

But I turned around first.

“Are you threatening me?”

Tan Dich stared at me.

“No.”

Then, surprisingly, he smiled.

It was the first truly confident expression he had shown all afternoon.

“I’m reminding you that our families have been tied together for more than twenty years.”

He took a document from his assistant.

And placed it on the table.

“Thanh Dong isn’t the only project connecting us.”

My father’s eyes narrowed.

Tan Dich pushed the document toward me.

“Three months ago, your uncle used twelve percent of Moc Corporation’s overseas shares as collateral.”

I didn’t move.

Ha An’s face changed.

That transaction had never appeared in our internal reports.

Tan Dich continued slowly:

“And guess who holds the collateral agreement?”

Silence.

He tapped the document once.

“Lin Xue.”

My father immediately picked it up.

After reading the first page, his face turned terrifyingly still.

I had rarely seen him like that.

“What is this?”

Tan Dich looked at me rather than him.

“If the Moc family continues withdrawing from Qin projects, Lin Xue has the right to activate the collateral clause.”

I felt something cold move down my spine.

“Twelve percent…”

I whispered.

Tan Dich nodded.

“Enough to trigger a restructuring of your board.”

He stepped closer.

For the first time all day, he seemed certain he had regained control.

“You wanted to cancel the engagement?”

His eyes dropped briefly to my bare ring finger.

“Fine.”

Then he looked directly into my eyes.

“But before you destroy the Qin family, you should find out why someone inside your own family has been secretly preparing to hand the Moc Corporation to Lin Xue.”

At that exact moment, my father’s phone rang.

He answered.

Three seconds later, his face changed.

“What did you say?”

Everyone looked at him.

The voice on the other end was loud enough for me to hear.

“Chairman Moc, someone just initiated an emergency shareholder vote.”

My fingers went cold.

Father asked:

“Who?”

There was a pause.

Then the answer came.

“Your younger brother.”

I slowly turned toward Tan Dich.

But this time, even he looked surprised.

And then the outer doors opened.

A woman walked in wearing the same champagne-colored dress from the engagement ceremony.

Lin Xue.

She smiled at me.

In her hand was the eight-carat diamond ring I had left at the hotel.

She placed it gently on the table.

Then she said:

“Miss Moc, I think you left something behind.”