Chapter 84

At the estate, Elena cut into the delicate almond panna cotta on her plate with a spoon.

She hesitated several times before finally giving in to her curiosity.

"About that Foster guy... what exactly did you do to him?"

Across the table, Richard lifted his eyes, a hint of amusement appearing in them.

"I don't need to handle things like that personally. I give an instruction, and the people below me take care of the rest."

He paused.

"As for how they chose to do it... why don't you guess?"

Elena set down her spoon and thought about it.

"I don't know much about him or his family. But if he was at Greenfield, he obviously belongs to that circle."

She blinked.

"Did you go after his family's business somehow? You know, the whole 'one cold breeze and the Foster empire collapses' thing?"

Richard shook his head slightly.

"If someone tried to destroy your career," he said, setting down his wineglass, "I'd return the favor. I'd deal with him in a language he understood."

His expression remained calm.

"But he tried to hurt you personally. That calls for a different approach."

Elena's eyes shifted as her mind raced.

"If I guessed that you just had someone beat him up..." She hesitated. "That feels a little crude. I don't think that's all you did."

The corner of Richard's mouth lifted.

"The first step in dealing with someone is knowing them."

His voice slowed.

"Find out what they want. Find out what they're afraid of."

Elena listened thoughtfully.

"And if you don't know—or simply don't feel like spending the time to investigate—then look at the people closest to them," Richard continued. "The people closest to someone usually know exactly where to put the knife, because they know where that person is most vulnerable."

He paused.

"Guess the next step."

Elena considered it for a moment.

"If you want someone close to him to turn against him... first you give them a reason to become enemies."

"Exactly."

Richard gave her an approving look.

"And when someone has already given the people closest to him plenty of reasons to hate him, that becomes remarkably easy."

He took out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and turned it toward her.

"Look."

Elena leaned closer.

A report was displayed on the screen.

It concerned an incident at the Foster family's old estate several years earlier.

Ryan had pushed his older sister's son down a flight of stairs.

A security camera had recorded the entire thing.

The elder Mr. Foster had claimed that the camera had already been broken at the time. In reality, it had been repaired shortly before the incident. The footage was quietly deleted afterward.

But before it disappeared, one of the household employees had secretly saved a copy, thinking it might prove useful someday.

That copy had eventually been purchased through one of Sterling Consortium's intelligence channels.

Which meant Richard's people had been sitting on evidence that could turn Ryan's sister against him whenever the need arose—proof of exactly what Ryan had done to her child.

Elena finished reading.

"...I get it."

"You see?" Richard's voice remained even. "There was no reason for us to deal with Ryan ourselves. Once his sister learned the truth—"

"Right. If she decided to deal with him herself, she'd probably move a lot faster."

Elena sat back, thinking it over.

It was a remarkably interesting form of revenge.

They barely needed to expose themselves to any risk, yet Ryan could still end up paying an enormous price.

"Wow."

Elena's eyes lit up.

"That's actually fascinating."

Richard watched the concentration—and unmistakable admiration—on her face.

A faint sense of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

"You like hearing about this sort of thing?"

"It's interesting," Elena admitted. "Every time you explain things like this to me, I feel like I learn a lot."

She paused, then looked at him seriously.

"Thank you for doing all of this for me. And thank you for being willing to tell me how it works."

Her voice softened.

"It feels like you're opening a door for me. Showing me how power actually works when you have enough of it."

Elena meant it.

She was genuinely grateful.

But once she thought back over what had happened at Greenfield, a little guilt crept in.

"Although... now that I've calmed down, I probably shouldn't have ordered the bodyguard to hit Ryan in the restaurant. Especially when those were people you assigned to me."

Her head lowered, and her voice gradually became quieter.

"I really wasn't trying to cause trouble for you. I was just so angry. That coffee looked seriously hot, and Ryan kept insulting me, and—"

A warm hand touched her cheek.

Elena stopped.

Richard's long fingers brushed gently over her skin before applying the slightest pressure, guiding her face upward until she was looking directly into his eyes.

"Ellie."

His voice was low and steady.

"You don't need to second-guess yourself over this."

Elena's lashes fluttered.

"Hmm?"

"The security detail I gave you is there to keep you safe—and to make sure you never have to endure mistreatment just to keep the peace."

Richard held her gaze.

"Someone tried to hurt you. You made him pay for it. I have no problem with that."

"But—"

"No buts."

Richard released her cheek.

"I know you. You're not someone who goes around provoking people for no reason, and you don't bully people weaker than you."

His expression remained calm.

"I trust your character, and I trust that you know where the line is."

He stood and walked around the table.

Stopping beside her chair, Richard leaned down, one hand braced against the armrest, surrounding her with his presence.

"So whatever trouble you manage to get yourself into..."

His face was close enough that Elena caught the cool woody scent of his cologne beneath the faint trace of red wine.

"There's nothing you can cause that I can't handle."

Elena looked up at him.

Something inside her slowly softened.

This was a man who stood at the very top of a world governed by money, influence, and power.

And in the calmest possible voice, he had just offered her something close to absolute privilege.

"Got it..."

She murmured the words, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

Richard's gaze darkened slightly.

He slipped one arm behind her back and the other beneath her knees, lifting her easily from the chair.

"Hey—"

Elena instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"We're still eating!"

Richard returned to his seat and settled her sideways across his lap.

Elena glanced around.

The butler and household staff were nowhere in sight.

Only then did she relax against his shoulder.

"Fine. But you said it."

"I did."

Richard's voice had grown slightly hoarse.

One hand settled firmly around her waist, the warmth of his palm seeping through the thin fabric of her athletic top.

His other hand slid gently through her hair and rested at the back of her head.

He lowered his face toward hers.

His breath warmed her lips.

"Can I kiss you?"