Chapter 7
1531words
David stood at the doorway, his hair disheveled, tie askew, still clutching his phone tightly in his hand, the screen displaying that technical analysis post that had exploded across public opinion.
"Ella!" His voice was hoarse, carrying unbelievable anger and panic, "Did you fucking do this?!"
Only a few mood lights were on in the living room, with Ella sitting upright in the center of the sofa, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
She wore a crisp black loungewear outfit, as if about to attend an important online meeting. She didn't even look up at him, just took a slow, deliberate sip of water from her glass.
"Close the door, David." Her voice was as calm as ice, "We don't need to make a spectacle for the neighbors."
David closed the door and stumbled into the living room. His gaze swept across the room, as if truly seeing this place for the first time—every smart device, every piece of furniture, now like silent accomplices, witnessing his collapse.
"Why?" he almost shouted, waving his phone, "Do you know what you've done? My phone is blowing up! Clients, investors, the board... they're all asking what the hell is going on! You've ruined me! You've ruined everything!"
Ella finally looked up, her gaze cold and unwavering. "I ruined everything?" she repeated softly, as if savoring the absurdity of the statement. She picked up the tablet from the table and tapped it a few times.
The main ceiling light in the living room suddenly brightened, making David squint. At the same time, a huge projection screen slowly descended from the ceiling, directly facing the sofa.
"Sit down, David." Ella's tone was unquestionable, as if she was speaking to a subordinate who had lost control of his behavior, "Since you asked, I will give you, and everyone concerned about this matter, a complete and clear explanation."
The projection screen lit up, displaying a concise and professional title page: "Project 'Truth' Final Report."
David froze in place, his face turning from red to white. "What... what exactly are you trying to do?"
"The presentation is about to begin," Ella didn't even look at him, her gaze fixed on the screen, "Or would you prefer that I share this PPT directly to my professional blog? I believe there are hundreds of thousands of people who would be willing to watch a live broadcast right now."
David collapsed onto the single sofa across from her, as if all strength had been drained from him.
Ella operated the tablet, and the screen switched to the next page: "Evidence Chain Overview."
"It all began six weeks ago," her voice was like an AI broadcast, calm, precise, without a trace of emotion, "A strange voice pattern in the system log marked as 'Guest'."
On the screen appeared in sequence:
* **Voice Print Log Screenshot** (Timestamp Highlighted): "This is the first occurrence. You told me at the time that you were attending the 'Stellar Project Client Dinner'."
* **Schedule Comparison Chart**: "The dinner ended at ten. Driving home from the hotel takes exactly one hour and thirty-four minutes. The timing matches perfectly."
* **Audio Waveform Comparison Chart**: "This is the voice print of that 'guest'. This is the podcast voice print of sound designer Miss Chloe Lee. Match rate 98.7%."
David opened his mouth, but couldn't make a sound.
Ella didn't give him a chance to breathe, continuing to flip pages: "Behavior Pattern Analysis."
A complex timeline appeared on the screen, matching David's schedule with the "guest" commands to the smart home system.
"Business trips, overtime work, weekend golf... Every time you were out of my sight, this 'guest' would come online right on schedule, using the remote access you granted to control my home." She deliberately emphasized the words "my home."
"She even has her own music preference——'Midnight Blues'. A playlist that has never appeared on the music platform that you and I share."
Next page: "Evidence of Physical Intrusion".
ASMR video screenshot appears, with the background sharpened.
"This is a video that Miss Chloe recorded in my living room. Posted on her social media to show off 'a friend with excellent taste's private space." Ella paused, then added, "Of course, she didn't forget to crop you out, leaving only a sleeve and the reflection of a watch. Do you need me to zoom in and compare it with the one you're wearing now?"
David's breathing became heavy, his fingers digging deep into the sofa armrest.
"Security Tests and Permission Abuse".
The operation log of the password trap was magnified.
"Last night, based on the security alert issued by the system—oh, that was my bait—this 'guest' remotely logged in again, attempting to enter the admin password to shut down the security cameras. Password 482619, one of your frequently used combinations." Ella finally turned her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with cold mockery, "You really have no sense of caution, David."
The final page, the grand finale: 「Ultimate Evidence: "David's Special Night"」.
Massive scene trigger logs filled the screen, with audio waveforms below.
Ella clicked the play button.
Chloe's excited voice echoed through the living room: "Oh my god! You actually programmed a special scene just for me? David, you're full of surprises!"
David replied smugly: "Of course, I promised you a perfect evening. Do you like it?"
"I love it!... Has your wife never known you could be this romantic?"
David's contemptuous voice: "Her? She only cares about her code and system security. She doesn't understand any of this."
The recording ended. The living room was deathly silent. David's face had completely drained of color. He collapsed into the sofa as if all his bones had been removed, only his eyes remained fixed on the screen, as if unable to comprehend what he had just heard.
Ella turned off the projector.
"Demonstration over." She stood up and grabbed two thick folders from the side table, tossing them onto the coffee table in front of him like garbage.
One was titled "Divorce Agreement."
The other was "Notice of Termination of All Business Partnerships and Authorizations with David."
"In the divorce agreement, you leave with nothing. Based on your serious violation of marital fidelity, and possible secret transfers of marital assets—for example, that designer handbag she was showing off, and that suspicious investment project with Yuanhe Winery."
Ella's voice remained steady, but each word was like an ice-dipped knife, "The other one is a notice terminating your studio's use of all my patent technologies and client resources. Your company has come this far relying on my technical endorsement and resource channeling. Now, all of that is over."
David jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot, squeezing out a hint of viciousness from his breakdown: "You... you can't do this! This is revenge! It's slander! Those evidences... they're all fabricated by you!"
"Oh?" Ella tilted her head slightly, looking at him with almost pity, "You can question me. But can you question the data that has already spread? Can you question the evidence chain that has been legally notarized? Or perhaps, you can try to explain to Miss Chloe why the proof of your 'true love' has become evidence of your commercial fraud?"
She stepped forward, looking down at him from above.
"David, you've misunderstood one thing. I was never arguing with you, nor was I negotiating with you." Her voice was very low, yet carried immense weight, "I am informing you of the outcome. From the moment you brought her into my home, allowed her to touch my things, and showed off my life, you were already out."
She picked up the tablet and made one final operation.
"By the way, your excellent performance just now—from your emotional outburst when you entered to your breakdown after hearing the recording—I've recorded it all. The audio is very clear. What do you think? If I send this audio along with your conversation just now where you denied everything to those questioning investors, wouldn't that be interesting?"
David seemed completely crushed, his lips trembling, unable to utter a complete sentence. His eyes unfocused, he could only mumble: "How could you... how could you be so ruthless..."
"Sign it, David." Ella rolled the pen toward him, "This is your only option to maintain some dignity. Otherwise, the next attorney's letter will address not just divorce and business termination, but also your suspected collusion with Chloe Lee in stealing my company's undisclosed technical concepts. That would mean not just disgrace, but actual imprisonment."
After speaking, she didn't look at him again, turning instead toward the study, leaving him alone to face the cold room and the two documents on the table that would determine his fate.
True revenge is never hysterical shouting, but calmly presenting the facts and then offering the other party a choice they cannot refuse—a choice where you make the rules and they suffer the consequences of their own actions.
