THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.

At that moment, James stood in the middle of the quiet street, his face still flushed from humiliation. His shirt was wrinkled, his heart heavy, and his pride completely shattered. He reached into his back pocket and slowly pulled out the worn, creased complimentary card Abigail had once slipped into his hand like a serpent offering a poisoned apple. He stared at it for a few seconds, as if trying to weigh the weight of the decision he was about to make.

But in truth, his mind was already made up. Cora had thrown him out. She didn't even blink. She watched him cry and still gave the order to toss him out like trash. All his tears, his words, his effort to look broken and desperate they didn't work. She had moved on. And now, it was his turn to do what he had to do.

With a sigh, he unlocked his phone and dialed the number written in glossy ink on the card. It rang just once before the call connected.

"Hello?" came Abigail's voice sharp, clear, and already smug. She had probably been expecting his call.

James didn't beat around the bush. "I've accepted what you want," he said, his voice low and tired. "I just want to confirm exactly what it is you need me to do."

There was a pause short but deliberate. Then Abigail chuckled softly on the other end of the line. "Good. Now you're thinking smart."

James said nothing. He could hear the sound of her pouring a drink in the background, the clink of glass against glass.

"It's very simple," she continued, her voice smooth like velvet but sharp like ice. "Since both of you were legally married before, it's going to be easy for you. And don't worry, James, I'm not asking you to shoot anyone or do anything that'll mess up your precious little conscience. No, this won't disrupt anything at least not on your side."

She paused again, letting her words sink into his mind before delivering the real blow.

"What I want is Cora's downfall."

James blinked, then swallowed hard.

"I want her humiliated," Abigail said, her tone now darker, colder. "I want her disgraced so badly that she won't even be able to walk past a mirror without crying. I want her destroyed, James. And you, being her dear ex-husband, are the perfect tool."

James clenched his jaw. His pride fought his guilt, but guilt was already losing.

"And don't worry," Abigail added. "I'm open to many suggestions. We just need the right story. Something sharp. Something emotional. Something scandalous. And once we get that, I'll take it from there. I control most of the media, remember? I can manipulate things to look ten times worse than they are. But if we give them something real…" She paused, her voice dripping with venom, "…then I won't even need to try hard."

She gave a soft laugh.

"With the right dirt, everything will go just the way I want."

At that moment, James didn't say anything right away. His lips stayed shut, but his mind was in complete chaos. Abigail's voice had made everything sound so easy just bring Cora down and get rewarded. But deep down, James knew the bitter truth: he had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The pictures he once had those compromising, emotionally damaging pieces he believed would serve as his backup plan were no longer in his possession. The videos that could have painted Cora in a bad light? All gone. Lovi had promised to help him. he'd said he had access, that he could retrieve things, plant things, do whatever it took. But since that conversation, he had acted like he didn't even exist. he hadn't returned his calls, hadn't responded to a single message. He was as good as invisible to him now.

So what now? What was he going to do? How was he supposed to rise from the gutter with nothing but shame hanging on his shoulders? He paced the small corner where he stood, phone pressed to his ear, his thoughts screaming louder than Abigail's voice.

"Are you still there?" Abigail's tone suddenly cut through the silence.

Immediately James blinked. That voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yes. Yes, I'm here," he quickly replied, straightening up. "Sorry, I was just… thinking. Trying to come up with the best scenario for you. Something solid. Something you can really use."

Abigail didn't say anything for a moment. She was quiet, but James could hear the faint tapping sound her long nails clicking against something, maybe a glass table. She was waiting.

Then James swallowed and inhaled sharply. He didn't have anything real, but he couldn't let her know that. He needed to make something up, something good, something she'd buy into. He couldn't afford to lose Abigail now not when she was his only shot at reclaiming any kind of power.

"I think I've got it," he said suddenly, his voice firmer now. "A plan that works for both of us. A win-win. Something that will completely ruin Cora, from the inside out. Not just a scandal. A complete disgrace that even her precious self won't be able to clean up."

He paused for effect, hoping she'd take the bait.

"This plan," James continued slowly, "isn't just about exposing her. It's about making her look like the very thing she's always hated weak, foolish, and publicly humiliated. Trust me, Abigail, when I'm done explaining it, you're going to love every bit of it."

At that moment, Abigail, hearing what James just said, would narrow her eyes slightly, leaning back into her chair. Her lips curved into the faintest smirk as she crossed her arms and replied coldly, "OK, I'm listening. What do you have for me?"

James straightened up. His voice carried an edge of desperation wrapped in false confidence. He continued, "I'm very, very sure that you've heard about ZXZ. And if maybe you haven't heard about it, then let me explain it to you now. ZXZ was my creation. A company that I built with my own two hands, from nothing. I built it by myself, from scratch. No inheritance, no family connections, nothing but raw effort. I poured my blood, my sweat, and every sleepless night into it."