The warmth in Lainey's eyes disappeared the instant she stepped out of the hotel, replaced by a cutting, icy resolve.

Bryan's matter had been settled. Now, it was time for her to return to the Miller residence and reclaim everything that should have been hers in the first place.

The moment she entered the Millers', her gaze landed on a middle-aged woman sitting stiffly on the sofa. She was dressed with elegance, her makeup flawless, yet her expression burned with barely restrained fury.

It was Larry's mother, Rita Miller.

As soon as Rita saw Lainey walk in, her face tightened, her brows knitting together.

There had been too many people at the wedding earlier, making it inconvenient for her to cause a scene. But now that Lainey had returned, Rita clearly had no intention of letting things slide.

She rose abruptly and strode toward Lainey, her voice slicing through the air with accusation. "Have you completely lost your senses? So my son asked Charlee to be your bridesmaid. Was that any reason to throw such a tantrum? You've disgraced my entire family!"

Lainey gave a cold, sarcastic laugh. "Let me ask you this—if your fiancé showed up with his first love, dressed better than you, and said she'd be your bridesmaid... could you tolerate that?"

As soon as she said it, a sharp ache tore through her chest, spreading until even breathing felt difficult.

Her eyes flushed red, her voice trembling with suppressed hurt. "You keep saying I humiliated your family, but has Larry ever treated me with even the slightest respect? When he lacked funding, I drank until I was sick just to secure investors for him. When he had no connections, I handed over every resource I had. When someone came at him with a knife, I stepped in front and took the hit myself. And after everything, he brought his first love to our wedding and insisted she be my bridesmaid. Rita, I'm not the one who brought shame to the Miller name. Your family failed me."

She met Rita's gaze directly, her eyes filled with undisguised hatred.

For a brief moment, that look unsettled Rita.

But the hesitation lasted only a second before anger and humiliation surged back. She raised her hand high, her voice turning shrill with fury. "You bitch! How dare you badmouth my son? I must teach you a lesson right now!"

Her hand came swinging down toward Lainey's face. But Lainey's eyes turned steely. She intercepted the blow midair, gripping Rita's wrist firmly before striking her across the face with equal force.

The crack echoed loudly through the room.

Rita's cheek swelled almost at once.

However, before she could even cry out, a man's cold, impatient voice cut through the tension. "Have you had enough?"

Larry stepped inside, his face clouded with irritation. "I know you were unhappy about Charlee being chosen as your bridesmaid. Fine, next time she won't be. If you apologize to my mother right now, I might still accept you as my wife."

Then Charlee spoke, her voice soft and fragile, almost trembling. "Lainey, no matter what happened, she's still Larry's mother."

Lainey walked straight toward her, each step steady, her gaze sharp as it settled on Charlee's pale, delicate features. "Charlee, do you feel no shame at all?"

Charlee pressed a hand to her chest, as if deeply wounded by the accusation. "How can you say something like that to me? I already feel terrible. Larry... maybe I really am someone people can't stand. I don't see the point in living anymore..."

Larry immediately pulled her into his arms, his face filled with concern. When he looked back at Lainey, anger flared in his eyes. "Charlee just gave up on the idea of ending her life. How could you say something like that to her? If she—"

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Lainey turn and walk into the kitchen. Moments later, she reappeared, a knife gripped firmly in her hand.

The instant Charlee's eyes fell on the blade, the color drained from her face, and her knees nearly buckled beneath her. "Larry..."

Larry reacted at once, stepping forward to shield her. "I'm telling you now, Lainey... don't even think about laying a finger on her."

Lainey's gaze dipped, the storm in her eyes carefully concealed as she pressed it down, replacing it with a chilling smile.

"Relax, Miss Foster. There's no need to panic. I'm not here to harm you. Consider this a wedding gift. Since you're so fond of threatening to end your life, I thought I'd save you the trouble. With this, you won't need to rely on sleeping pills anymore. One quick move, and it'll all be over in an instant."

With a sharp motion, she drove the knife down onto the tabletop.

The sudden impact made Charlee's last bit of strength give out entirely, and she crumpled onto the floor.

Lainey didn't spare them another glance. She turned away as if none of it concerned her and walked into the bedroom she had once occupied in the Miller household. There, she gathered everything that belonged to her, along with the keepsakes her grandmother had left behind, packed them up, and stepped out again.

She had just reached the door when Rita's piercing voice rang out from behind her. "Stop right there! What exactly do you think you're taking with you? Do those things even belong to you?"

Rita's cheek was still swollen from Lainey's slap. There was no way she'd just let her leave after that.

Lainey tipped her head slightly, her gaze settling on Rita with a calm, almost amused look. "Rita, are you sure you want to go down this road?"

Rita mistook that composure for weakness. Lifting her chin, she drew herself up arrogantly. "Of course! Who knows what you've hidden away? Open your suitcase. I'm going through it myself."

Larry stayed completely uninvolved. He remained beside Charlee, holding her close as if nothing else in the room mattered, whispering reassurance to her.

At that sight, whatever lingering ache remained in Lainey's chest vanished, replaced by nothing but cold hatred.

Her expression turned indifferent. Without a word, she crouched and pulled open the zipper of her suitcase. "Go ahead. Look carefully. See if there's anything in there that belongs to your family."

Rita wasted no time. She immediately began rummaging through the contents, turning everything upside down without the slightest regard. Clothes were tossed aside carelessly, the suitcase quickly becoming a chaotic mess. As if that wasn't enough, she deliberately flung a few of Lainey's undergarments onto the floor, her actions dripping with insult.

Lainey stood there, watching silently. Then she lowered her eyes and sent a quick message to her assistant, Rose Ford.

"Come to the Millers' with a few bodyguards. Bring some empty suitcases."

The reply came almost instantly.

"Are you finally done tolerating them? Leave it to me. I'll be there in ten minutes."

A faint, almost ironic smile curved Lainey's lips.

Rose had told her more than once that the Miller family wasn't worth her patience, especially Larry. Back then, she hadn't listened. She had given everything she had, thinking effort would be enough.

Now she looked up again. Rita was still searching with a smug expression, while Charlee stood nearby watching like it was entertainment.

Lainey spoke again, her voice steady. "So? Finished yet? Did you find anything that belongs to you?"

Rita gave the suitcase a disdainful kick, her lips curling. "There's nothing useful in here. Just trash."

Her eyes were full of scorn as she added, "Now pick it all up and clean this mess before you leave."

But instead of complying, Lainey walked over to a nearby shelf and picked up a porcelain vase, turning it slowly in her hand.

She said quietly, "Not everything here belongs to you." She held it up slightly. "I bought this vase two months ago. Three million. Since I paid for it, I'm taking it away."

Her hand then pointed toward the wall. "That painting and the clock over there... I purchased both three months ago. Ten million altogether. They're coming with me too."

Rita's expression twisted in disbelief. "Are you serious? You gave those to us! You can't just take them back now!"

Larry's brows pulled together as well. "My mother is attached to that painting. You're not taking it."

Charlee, still playing the role of the fragile victim, added softly with a wounded tone, "I always thought you were someone generous. Why are you suddenly acting so petty?"

With the three of them speaking one after another, the situation was quickly twisted—making it seem like Lainey was the unreasonable one causing all the chaos.

Just then, Rose showed up, accompanied by a group of bodyguards. Lainey immediately gestured around the living room while issuing instructions one after another. "The Hermès fruit bowl—mine. Pack it. The Tiffany tea set—mine. Take it. The Chanel curtains—also mine. Take them down."

Her gaze shifted to the living room sofa. "And this sofa cost me two million. That goes as well."

Rose looked almost energized, as if she had been waiting for this moment. With efficient coordination, she and the bodyguards began clearing out everything Lainey had originally financed, one item after another.

Larry's expression turned increasingly dark. "So this is your revenge? You're really tearing this entire house apart just to get back at me?"

Lainey didn't respond immediately. Instead, she calmly bent down and started collecting the rest of her belongings from the floor. Only after finishing did she speak. "I wasn't planning to argue over a few things I once bought." She paused briefly. "But your mother insisted on making a scene out of it. So now she gets to see what it looks like when I stop holding back."

She zipped up her suitcase and stood upright again, her gaze landing on Rita with a faint, almost unsettling smile. "Well, Rita, satisfied now?"

The words hit like a final blow. Rita's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed on the spot.

The moment Lainey turned to leave, panic erupted behind her.

"Mom!" Larry shouted.

"Mrs. Miller!" Charlee cried out as well.

Seeing Rita faint, Charlee immediately seized the opportunity, her voice dripping with concern and accusation. "Larry, this is too much. Lainey actually took everything and stressed Mrs. Miller into collapsing. How can she be so disrespectful to you and your family?"

Larry laid Rita down on a chair, his face tight with anger as he straightened up again. He turned toward Lainey with a cold, cutting stare. "Go ahead then," he yelled. "Walk out now if you want. But when Nova Tech's launch succeeds in a few days, don't expect to come back. Even if you crawl on your knees, I won't let you near this family again."

At the mention of Nova Tech, something shifted in Lainey's expression. That company's AI division was the backbone of the Miller Group's upcoming success. In her past life, she had attended that very launch—not as a guest, but as Larry's hidden helper behind the scenes.

When Bryan had attempted to expose Nova Tech's fake technology, she had interfered and sabotaged Wilson Group instead, forcing him to step back. She had even handed over her own company's research just to secure Larry's success.

That single event had made Nova Tech explode in value, earning Larry unimaginable profits.

This time, things would be different. She would not help him.

And she would make sure Bryan didn't lose either.

A confident curve appeared on her lips. "Alright. Then we'll see how that turns out," she said softly.

Dressed in a way that commanded attention, Lainey stepped into Nova Tech's product launch with confidence.

As soon as she neared the entrance, Larry's voice reached her, sharp with anger.

"Bryan Wilson, you showed up here just to ruin my launch, didn't you?"

Across the venue, Bryan stood with his usual cold expression, though a faint trace of ridicule appeared in his eyes. "You seriously believe this passes as a product launch? You say Nova Tech's AI robot can think like a human, yet all you did was hide cameras inside it and hire people to respond to customers. Buyers pay a high price for your so-called technology, investors throw money at you because they believe your AI leads the industry, and then you walk away with billions built on nothing but hype. Tell me, is any of that a lie?"

Tension tightened Larry's face. "That's not true—"

Before he could continue, Lainey made her entrance. A form-fitting red dress clung to her figure, and it drew attention the moment she stepped inside. At the same time, a slow and captivating smile rested on her lips.

For a brief second, astonishment flickered across Larry's eyes, and it quickly shifted into relief. "Lainey, you're finally here. Come on, tell them the truth. Let everyone know that Nova Tech's AI is legitimate."

With a doctorate in artificial intelligence, Lainey had always been the one capable of solving problems like this, so there had to be a way for her to turn things around for him.

The spark of hope lighting up Larry's face didn't go unnoticed by Bryan.

As his eyes shifted toward Lainey, a shadow passed through his gaze.

He never expected her to appear at all, and from what he could tell, she had come here for Larry's sake.

A bitter feeling rose within him, yet he forced it down, and his expression grew even colder.

After everything that had happened between them the other night, had she already put it behind her?

At the sight of Lainey walking in dressed like that, jealousy flickered unmistakably in Charlee's eyes.

She had been certain that after the wedding was called off, she would take Lainey's place beside Larry at Nova Tech's launch and enjoy all the attention. Instead, Lainey still showed up, and she looked more captivating than ever.

What made it worse was that Larry, while Bryan publicly challenged him, still relied on Lainey to fix the situation.

As that realization settled in, Charlee tightened her hold around Larry's arm.

Even so, she still chose to back Larry, and her voice came out gentle and encouraging. "Exactly, Lainey. You should clarify things for him. You used to be his girlfriend, so if there was anything fake going on, there is no way you would not know."

A pleased look appeared in Larry's eyes as he glanced at Charlee, clearly satisfied with her response.

Without any change in expression, Lainey met her gaze and spoke in an even tone. "Whatever I had with Larry is finished. If someone needs to defend him, it should be the one clinging to his arm. A lunatic and an idiot. You two are a match made in heaven."

Her words struck them both like a sudden blow.

At once, Larry's face darkened, and irritation showed clearly. "I understand that you are still angry about the wedding. Fine, I'll apologize if that's what you want. But after I speak, you will stand there and support Nova Tech's AI with your professional credibility. If you refuse, then you can forget about marrying me."

Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned away and walked straight toward the stage.

Once he stood before the crowd, Larry began delivering a confident speech about Nova Tech's cutting-edge AI, its groundbreaking potential, and how it was set to take over the entire market.

After wrapping up his speech, Larry faced the crowd and spoke with confidence. "You all came to Nova Tech's launch because you trust this company to bring you profit. As for the claims Bryan Wilson made earlier, I doubt anyone here is naive enough to take them seriously."

Shifting his attention, he looked toward Charlee, and his expression softened with a hint of affection. "A close friend of mine, Charlee Foster, invested in Nova Tech just a week ago. By today, her returns have already multiplied twentyfold."

At that cue, his assistant brought up the stock chart on the massive screen behind him.

"See for yourselves. Nova Tech is rising faster than anyone expected."

Excitement rippled through the crowd.

"Twenty times in a few days? This is insane! I'm buying more!"

"Count me in for five million."

"Put me down for ten."

"I'm not missing this chance. One move like this and we are set for life."

As the crowd grew more eager and poured money in, satisfaction slowly spread across Larry's face.

Naturally, he believed nothing could stand in his way, not even Bryan. In his mind, the future already placed him as the wealthiest man in the country.

His attention shifted toward Lainey, and his tone returned to its usual commanding edge. "Lainey, step up there and explain the advanced technologies behind Nova Tech's AI."

At that exact moment, a frantic voice cut through the noise, and it pulled everyone's attention at once.

"Mr. Miller—someone just placed a one billion short order on our stock!"