Chapter 578:

Egbert’s lips curled into a contemptuous smile as he swirled the burgundy wine in his glass, the crimson hue evoking memories of her bloodstained form from that devastating day.

“Countless people fail to grasp this fundamental business principle, desperately attempting to extract valuable concessions from me through collaboration, elaborate deception, or various other manipulative methods. Brandon, you proved no different from the rest. Your vision focused on achieving mutually beneficial cooperation, but I, along with the formidable Perez family empire supporting my decisions, pursued complete monopolistic control. Why would I willingly share profits when I possessed the capability to claim everything for myself? Therefore, when you departed with my assistant to print and finalize the contractual documents, I told Millie the truth directly.”

Egbert lifted his gaze to—

Egbert studied Brandon, whose features had twisted into an expression of profound inner turmoil. “Nevertheless, she seemed to have predicted my eleventh-hour sabotage with remarkable accuracy. Yet, despite her foresight, her final decision materialized almost instantaneously.”

Egbert consumed another measured portion of wine, his focus drifting into distant memories as his mind transported him back to that frigid late autumn afternoon in Flesta, years buried in the past.

On that particular day, beside the frozen pool’s edge, only Millie and he remained present, accompanied by a substantial gathering of his armed men. The legal frameworks governing the two nations differed dramatically, and at that time, his personnel carried an impressive arsenal of weapons, their clothing still bearing the dark stains of recent violence.

Brandon and Millie had positioned their own bodyguards fifty meters away to demonstrate their absolute commitment to good-faith negotiations, leaving her exposed in a position of complete vulnerability.

Under these deliberately intimidating circumstances, he revealed his true intentions to her and commanded his armed men to apply psychological pressure.

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 ⲅα𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀．𝗰𝗈𝗺

This was his customary perverted entertainment—manipulating vulnerable individuals while savoring the expressions of rage and terror that would inevitably cross their faces. Indeed, he had always been such a fundamentally warped individual.

But she responded with nothing more than a gentle smile, and against the backdrop of that harsh autumn wind, her expression radiated extraordinary beauty—like a single splash of vivid color in an otherwise colorless landscape.

“Mr. Perez, you’ve prepared two separate contracts for this meeting, haven’t you?” she asked with perfect composure.

He couldn’t decipher the meaning behind her words and gestured with his hand for her to elaborate further.

“One contract represents the finalized agreement we’ve spent hours negotiating and refining together. The second contract embodies the document you crafted specifically to manipulate and deceive us.” Millie allowed her gaze to drop slightly, her long eyelashes creating delicate upward curves that enhanced her refined features. “I suspect you wouldn’t want to miss witnessing Brandon’s reaction when your elaborate deception achieved its intended effect, so you would have instructed your assistant to print both versions of the contract and bring them to this meeting.”

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