By the time London woke up, Nathan had already hired two law firms.

By noon, he had filed an emergency application accusing me of unlawfully removing our daughter from China.

He expected me to panic.

Instead, I was sitting on the thirty-second floor of Qin Group’s European headquarters reviewing NordTech’s acquisition reports.

Claire placed a tablet beside me.

“He’s holding a press conference.”

I glanced at the screen.

Nathan stood before dozens of reporters wearing the same navy suit I had bought him for his first promotion.

His expression was carefully rehearsed.

“My wife has suffered emotional stress,” he said. “Right now my only concern is bringing my daughter home safely.”

I almost laughed.

Not one word about the slap.

Not one word about Serena.

Only the image of a worried husband.

Claire muted the television.

“Our public relations department is asking whether they should respond.”

“No.”

She looked surprised.

“We’ll wait.”

“For what?”

“For Nathan to lie one more time.”

At that moment, Margaret Wells entered my office carrying a thick file.

“We’ve received disclosure from the court.”

She laid several documents on the desk.

“The custody petition relies almost entirely on Nathan’s statement.”

“No medical records.”

“No witness testimony.”

“No evidence.”

I nodded.

“Exactly what I expected.”

Margaret looked at me curiously.

“You don’t seem worried.”

“I’m not.”

I opened another folder.

Inside were the restaurant’s security recordings.

Four different camera angles.

Crystal clear.

Every second.

Nathan standing.

His hand rising.

The slap.

The stunned silence.

Blood appearing at the corner of my mouth.

Margaret stared at the footage.

“He never mentioned this.”

“Of course he didn’t.”

“And these?”

She picked up another envelope.

Statements.

Thirty-eight of them.

Customers.

Waiters.

Managers.

Even the pianist who had been performing that evening.

Every witness described the same thing.

Nathan had struck his wife without hesitation.

Margaret slowly smiled.

“The custody hearing just changed.”

“Not yet.”

I closed the file.

“We’re still waiting.”

“For what?”

“For Serena.”

Almost as if she had heard her name, Claire’s phone rang.

“Miss Qin…”

“The financial news account just published another article.”

The headline flashed across the screen.

QIN GROUP EXECUTIVE FLEES COUNTRY AMID BILLION-EURO ACQUISITION.

I read the article once.

Then smiled.

“They’ve made their biggest mistake.”

Claire frowned.

“It’s completely false.”

“I know.”

“So why are you smiling?”

“Because they published it before the stock market opened.”

She suddenly understood.

“Market manipulation.”

I nodded.

“They just handed our legal department a gift.”

Within thirty minutes, Qin Group’s compliance team had filed complaints with the Financial Conduct Authority, the London Stock Exchange, and multiple European regulators.

The false article disappeared before lunchtime.

But the evidence remained.

Then another report arrived.

Claire looked up from her laptop.

“We’ve confirmed something.”

“What?”

“Shengheng Group financed Nathan’s legal fees.”

Margaret leaned forward.

“How much?”

“Nearly four hundred thousand pounds.”

Silence filled the room.

So it was true.

Nathan wasn’t fighting for Mia.

He was protecting Serena’s family.

I stood and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Canary Wharf.

For three years…

I had believed my marriage was failing because love had disappeared.

In reality…

It had become a business transaction.

My phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

I answered.

Nathan’s voice came through immediately.

“Victoria.”

“I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“I changed my number.”

“I noticed.”

His voice softened.

“Can we stop involving lawyers?”

“You involved them first.”

“I just want to see Mia.”

“You should’ve thought about Mia before hitting her mother.”

He fell silent.

Finally he whispered,

“I lost my temper.”

“You lost much more than that.”

Another pause.

“I’ll end things with Serena.”

I closed my eyes.

Not because I believed him.

Because I finally understood him.

He still thought this was about another woman.

“No, Nathan.”

“It isn’t about Serena anymore.”

“Then what is it about?”

“It’s about respect.”

“You destroyed yours.”

Before he could answer, I ended the call.

Claire looked at me.

“Do you think he’ll give up?”

I slowly shook my head.

“No.”

“He still believes he’s fighting his wife.”

I turned back toward the windows.

“He hasn’t realized…”

“…he’s about to negotiate against the woman leading the company that’s deciding whether Shengheng survives this acquisition.”

Just then, the head of mergers and acquisitions rushed into my office.

“Miss Qin.”

“What happened?”

“The NordTech board just contacted us.”

“And?”

“They’ve rejected Shengheng’s offer.”

My heartbeat remained perfectly steady.

“They want to negotiate exclusively…”

He smiled.

“…with Qin Group.”

At that exact same moment, Nathan’s phone rang in Beijing.

The caller ID displayed only one name.

SERENA.

When he answered, her voice was shaking.

“Nathan…”

“My father’s company is collapsing.”

“They’re saying only one person can still stop this.”

He frowned.

“Who?”

There was a long silence before she whispered the answer.

“Your wife.”