Chapter 7：Hunter and Prey
1870words
The power of the wolf pack flows in my blood, my eyes occasionally flashing gold, even when not in transformation.
"You look different," Lisa commented, watching me walk into the office.
"I am different," I answered with a smile, "stronger."
The first email appeared in my inbox: Victor's company stock plummeted 30%.
I chuckled softly. This was just the beginning.
I canceled all cooperation with Reed family companies, withdrew all investments, and cut off their economic lifeline.
The phone kept ringing; it was Victor and his business partners.
"Tell them I'm not here," I said to Lisa, "Let them taste what it feels like to be ignored."
At noon, James appeared in my office, his face ashen.
"What exactly are you doing?" he demanded, "Victor's company is about to go bankrupt!"
"Really?" I feigned surprise, "That's... unfortunate."
"Is this your revenge?" he said through gritted teeth.
"No, James," I said calmly, "This is called a business decision. I'm simply withdrawing my investments."
"You know what impact this will have on the Reed family!"
"Just like you knew what impact refusing to save me would have on our child?" I countered, my voice ice cold.
He was speechless, only able to glare at me in anger.
"You'll regret this, Emma," he finally said, "No one treats the Reed family this way."
"I'll be waiting to see," I answered with a smile.
After he left, Noah sent a text message:
"James is contacting lawyers, preparing to file for divorce against you. He claims that you are mentally unstable."
I've been expecting this move for a while.
"Let him come," I replied, "I'm already prepared."
When I returned home in the evening, I found James wasn't there.
I opened his computer and entered the password—our wedding anniversary date, how ironic.
Sure enough, he had already started transferring assets, preparing to protect his wealth during the divorce.
Unfortunately for him, it's too late.
I've already frozen all our joint accounts, and all he can access is the pitiful amount in his personal account.
The next day, I received the divorce lawsuit notification.
James accused me of being mentally unstable, endangering family safety, and demanded half of our property.
I handed the documents to my lawyer, who just smiled after reading them.
"He has no chance of winning," the lawyer said, "We have solid evidence of his affair."
"Don't rush to counterattack," I said, "Let him think he has the upper hand."
The same day, Aria came to my office, pretending to be concerned.
"Emma, I heard about the divorce," she said with fake tears glistening in her eyes, "I'm really sorry about it."
"Really?" I sneered, "Then why were you staying overnight at James's apartment last night?"
Her face instantly turned pale: "You...how did you know?"
"I know a lot more than you imagine, dear sister," I said softly, "including your conspiracy."
"What conspiracy? I don't know what you're talking about," she hurriedly denied.
"Stop pretending, Aria," I interrupted her, "the game is over. You and James, and the entire Reed family, will all pay for what you've done."
"You can't do this to me," she suddenly became angry, "I'm your sister!"
"No, you haven't been for a long time," I said calmly, "from the moment you decided to betray me."
She rushed out of the office, and I knew she would immediately report to James.
That's exactly what I wanted.
In the afternoon, I received another text message from Noah:
"James has frozen all of your accounts he could find. He thinks this will put you in financial crisis."
I smiled and replied: "Let him continue to believe so."
The real wealth had already been transferred to secure accounts that only I could access.
James's efforts were only digging his own grave.
In the evening, I received a call from Helen, her voice anxious.
"Emma, we need to talk," she said, "about this divorce."
"What is there to talk about?" I replied coldly.
"For the sake of the family's reputation, we can resolve this privately," she proposed, "Victor is willing to offer you a substantial compensation."
"Compensation?" I laughed, "You think money can make up for what you've done?"
"Then what do you want?" her voice became tense.
"Justice," I answered simply, "and a chance for regret."
After hanging up the phone, I received a news alert:
"Reed family company stock prices continue to fall, investors withdrawing funds en masse."
My plan was working.
The next morning, I saw Victor's photo in the newspaper, standing at the company entrance, facing questions from reporters.
"Will the breakdown of cooperation between Reed Group and Luna Enterprises lead to bankruptcy?"
"Absolutely not," Victor pretended to be calm, "Reed Group has enough resources to get through this difficult period."
But the fear in his eyes betrayed him.
I knew he was lying. Without my support, Reed Group would collapse within a month.
At noon, I received an unexpected visitor—Noah.
"The situation is worse than I imagined," he said as soon as he entered, "James' credit card has been frozen, and he can't pay for anything."
"What a pity," I pretended to sympathize.
"Not only that," Noah continued, "Victor's main project has been forced to stop, and hundreds of employees are facing unemployment."
"That's Victor's problem, not mine," I replied coldly.
"Emma," Noah hesitated, "I know they hurt you, but isn't this revenge going too far?"
I looked at him, a flash of golden light in my eyes.
"Too far? Noah, they plotted a conspiracy that caused me to lose my child and almost cost me my life. What kind of revenge do you think would be 'appropriate'?"
He lowered his head: "You're right, I'm just... worried this will turn into an endless cycle of hatred."
"It won't be endless," I promised, "as long as they recognize their mistakes and sincerely repent."
"Would you really forgive them?" Noah asked in surprise.
"Forgiveness doesn't equal forgetting," I said, "but I'm not someone who lives for revenge. I only want justice."
After Noah left, I received a text from James:
"We need to talk. Tonight at seven, the usual place."
The usual place was the restaurant where we had our first date. How ironic.
I replied: "I'll be there."
At seven in the evening, I arrived at the restaurant on time.
James was already there waiting for me, looking exhausted.
"You won," he said as soon as he saw me, "let's stop this war."
"War?" I raised an eyebrow, "I'm just making business decisions, James."
"You know what I mean," he said in a low voice, "you've already destroyed the Reed family's reputation and wealth. Isn't that enough?"
"No, it's not," I looked straight into his eyes, "because you all haven't recognized your mistakes yet."
"What mistake?" he suddenly raised his voice, "You were the first to betray the family!"
Several customers turned to look at us.
"How did I betray the family?" I asked calmly, "Is it because I refused to let you control my company? Or because I was unwilling to be your ATM?"
"You know that's not what I meant," he said through gritted teeth.
"Then what did you mean, James? Tell me, what were you thinking when you were in bed with Aria? What were you thinking when you refused to save me, causing the death of our child?"
His face turned pale.
"That was... that was a mistake," he finally said, his voice barely audible.
"A mistake?" I sneered, "No, James, that was a choice. You chose betrayal, you chose deception, you chose to hurt me."
"Then what do you want?" he asked desperately, "Money? Power? Revenge?"
"I want the truth," I said calmly, "I want all of you to acknowledge what you've done and apologize publicly."
"Impossible!" he immediately refused, "This would ruin the Reed family's reputation!"
"Then let's continue this 'war'," I stood up, "and see who can hold out until the end."
As I was leaving the restaurant, I received an urgent text from Noah:
"Victor just had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. The doctor says it was caused by stress."
I stopped in my tracks, thought for a moment, then changed direction and headed to the hospital.
In the hospital corridor, I ran into Helen and Noah.
"What are you doing here?" Helen asked sharply, "Coming to see your handiwork?"
"I came to see how Victor is doing," I answered calmly.
"False compassion!" she almost screamed, "You caused all of this!"
"No, Helen," I looked straight into her eyes, "it was your own greed and betrayal that caused all of this."
Noah pulled Helen aside to calm her down.
The doctor walked out of the ward, announcing that Victor was out of danger.
"He needs absolute rest," the doctor emphasized, "any stress could cause another attack."
Helen looked at me, her eyes full of pleading: "Emma, please, stop all this. Victor can't take anymore."
I remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
"I will temporarily stop attacking the Reed Group," I said, "but on the condition that you publicly admit your mistakes."
"What mistakes?" Helen asked in confusion.
"You know," I said coldly, "about that trip, about your conspiracy."
Helen's expression became horrified: "You... you know?"
"I know everything," I confirmed, "including how you used Aria to get close to James, how you planned that trap on the full moon night."
She collapsed into the chair, her face pale.
"It was Victor's idea," she finally admitted, her voice trembling, "he said it was the only way to control your company. We never thought it would lead to... those consequences."
"But you did cause them," I said, "my child died, and you didn't even offer a sincere apology."
"We're sorry," she whispered, but I could feel her insincerity.
"Not enough," I shook my head, "I want a public apology, letting everyone know the truth."
"This will ruin us!"
"That's your choice," I turned to leave, "Apologize, or face the consequences."
Back home, I found James waiting for me.
"You went to the hospital?" he asked, with suspicion in his voice.
"Yes," I answered simply.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not like you," I looked into his eyes, "I won't lose my humanity because of hatred."
He was silent for a moment, then asked: "You really want us to apologize publicly?"
"Yes," I confirmed, "That's my condition."
"What if we refuse?"
I smiled, a golden light flashing in my eyes.
"Then, James, you will see what a werewolf can do when truly angry."
He trembled slightly, then nodded.
"I'll discuss with my family," he said, "but don't expect too much."
"I never expect you to do the right thing," I replied, "but I'll give you a chance to prove me wrong."
After he left, I stood by the window, looking at the moon in the night sky.
The taste of revenge is not as sweet as I imagined, but the feeling of justice is incomparably clear.
The Reed family has begun to collapse, and this is just the beginning.
The roles of hunter and prey have completely reversed.
Now, I am the one in control of everything.
