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

To his complete surprise, Oliver didn't ask him what he wanted. No. Instead, he slowly turned to two of his strong-looking men, men who had been quiet and still like statues all this time.

And Oliver said in a cold, heavy voice that left no room for questions, "Hold James down. I don't want him to even move a single foot. Not even a single muscle. Hold him down."

Immediately James blinked, before he could even understand what that meant, Oliver turned to the third man in the room. "You," he said, pointing, "make sure you open his mouth properly. Pull out his tongue. I want to cut it off."

At that moment Silence fell, It was as if time froze, for a split second, James didn't move. He thought he didn't hear it well. Maybe his ears were lying. But when he looked up and saw Oliver's face, and then the three men suddenly stepping forward like hungry wolves, his heart that was calm before suddenly started beating like a drum.

Panic gripped him.

He couldn't believe what he just heard, It was like a nightmare playing out in real life.

And at that moment, the three men swung into action.

Without wasting another second, two of them grabbed his arms one on the left, one on the right. Strong, firm, brutal hands gripped him like steel. They pulled him down to his knees like he was just a rag doll. His legs buckled beneath him.

The third man grabbed his jaw and forced his mouth open, rough fingers prying at his lips.

James couldn't move, he couldn't fight.

His knees were on the cold hard ground, and his arms were locked so tightly that pain started to shoot up through his shoulders. It felt like his bones were about to snap out of place.

At that moment, upon seeing how serious everything had gotten how Oliver's voice turned colder, how the men beside him were no longer just guards but executioners James finally knew.

It was done, there was no more begging, no more waiting, no more chances.

Immediately his eyes darted left and right, his heart pounded wildly inside his chest. Every second felt like a countdown to something horrible. And then, all at once, the fear exploded inside him.

Without wasting another second, James began to scream.

"I'll talk! Please! I'll talk!" he cried out with a loud and trembling voice.

His voice echoed in the room, shaking with panic, as if he hoped his confession might save his life.

He shouted again. "I swear I'll tell everything, just don't hurt me please!"

The room went quiet. Oliver didn't say a word yet. He just stared at James.

James swallowed hard and started to speak, his words coming fast like someone who had been holding poison in his mouth for too long.

"It was… it was the women!" James cried out. "They came to me. They came to me because I was Cora's ex-husband. They knew I had once been close to her, so they wanted to use that."

He looked at Oliver with fear in his eyes. "They said… they said they wanted Cora to be destroyed. That's what they said. That they want her to go down. They told me I should help them. They needed me to help them bring her down completely."

James's eyes were filled with tears now, his voice shaking even more. "I tried to tell them that I loved her. I really did. But… I was drowning. The debt, the pressure, everything I didn't have a choice. I swear, I didn't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is not how it was supposed to be."

He dropped his head in shame, his whole body trembling.

"They pressured me… they pressured me too much."

The room was dead silent for a few moments.

Then slowly, Oliver leaned forward just a little, his eyes still locked on James, his voice came out cold, quiet, and sharp.

"So… what were your plans for Cora, by the way?"

James froze.

Oliver's tone changed calmer now, but full of threat.

"What plans did you tell them that you were going to go with?"

At that moment, James slowly raised his head and locked eyes with Oliver again. And then… he swallowed hard.

He knew, he knew that the moment he opened his mouth and said what came next… he was done for.

At that moment, Oliver's voice sliced through the silence once again. His tone wasn't loud, but it carried a sharpness that made James flinch.

"What plan did you discuss with them, James?"

The question wasn't just a request for information it was a warning. A last chance. A final nail, waiting to be hammered.

James, still on his knees, felt as if the walls around him had started closing in. His throat tightened. His breath hitched. He looked up at Oliver, his lips trembling as if the weight of the truth was choking him. His voice cracked as he finally managed to speak.

"I'm not going to lie… I swear I'm not…" he began, eyes darting toward the guards holding him down. "I… I'll tell the truth."

His head dropped. His voice dropped even lower.

"They approached me first… the women. They came to me… saying that since I was Cora's ex-husband, I could help them get to her. They… they wanted her gone. Destroyed."

James closed his eyes tightly, as if reliving the moment. His jaw clenched before he continued, his voice wobbling.

"I told them… I told them I loved Cora. That despite everything, I still I still cared about her. But the debt… the money I owe Kingston Investments it's drowning me. I was desperate. I didn't know what else to do. They kept pressuring me. Calling. Visiting. Threatening. I swear, I tried to resist… I did..."

One of the guards behind him scoffed quietly. But Oliver didn't flinch. He kept staring, expression blank. Cold. Waiting.

"So I gave in," James whispered. "I told them… I told them that if they could help me get ZXZ back under my name… that I would help them. I said I would create a video. One that would hurt Cora. I'd say whatever they wanted. One of them the one with the heavy accent she said she had deep ties with the media. That she could spin the story however they wanted. She could destroy Cora's name."