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Chapter 76 The Preemptive Strike
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2026-06-26 08:00:54The quiet inside the penthouse didn't last long. By late afternoon, the media went into a complete frenzy. Speculative headlines began popping up across entertainment blogs and news sites, dropped like breadcrumbs by the Delos Reyes PR team. They were painting Mich as a homewrecker and a corporate saboteur who had seduced the crown prince of the Villanueva Group into ruining his own family's legacy.
Mich stared at her tablet, her heart sinking as she watched the narrative twist in real-ti
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The tires of Zane’s sports car screeched against the concrete pavement of the penthouse basement. He didn't even wait for the valet, slamming the door shut as he ran toward the private elevator. His heart was hammering against his ribs, not from the exhaustion of the grueling financial war he had just won, but from an overwhelming, electric rush of excitement. He clutched the signed release documents tightly in his hand—the literal proof of his freedom, the paper that broke the chains of his family’s control and erased Veronica Delos Reyes from his future entirely. "Mich!" Zane called out the moment the elevator doors slid open directly into the penthouse. His deep voice echoed through the vast, open space, carrying a rare, breathless warmth. "Mich, I'm home! It's over." But no one answered. The heavy silence that greeted him felt like an icy bucket of water poured over his skin. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed the pristine afternoon sun, but the apartment felt ch
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The next three days felt like a blur of intense corporate maneuvers and quiet domestic heartbreak. Following the terms of the secret agreement, Zane barely slept. He stayed locked in his private war room, systematically injecting his independent capital to absorb the panic selling of the Villanueva Group shares. Slowly but surely, the stock market began to react to his massive financial intervention. The aggressive bleeding stopped, and the numbers finally greened. He was successfully stabilizing the very empire that had tried to hollow him out—buying his freedom one billion pesos at a time.But while Zane was winning the financial war, he was losing the emotional timeline.Mich spent those three days pretending to be strong, running Serafina Studios with a calm mask while her internal world was completely disintegrating. She could see the sheer exhaustion lining Zane’s face every time he returned to the penthouse. He was spreading himself too thin, fighting his father, hand
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The ink on the secret agreement was barely dry, but Zane was already moving like a man possessed. Returning to his private office at his independent firm, he pulled an all-night operation. Phone calls to international market makers, massive capital transfers from his offshore accounts, and strategic block trades were executed under his direct command. By 4:00 AM, the bleeding in the Villanueva Group’s aftermarket trading had finally stopped. Zane was pouring his own hard-earned wealth into the very empire that had tried to crush him, all to buy a freedom that should have been his from the start.But while Zane was silently executing his high-stakes rescue mission, the emotional toll on the other side of the city was reaching its breaking point.Back at the penthouse, Mich hadn't slept a wink. The silence of the massive apartment felt louder than the corporate warfare outside. She sat on the edge of the bed, her laptop open to the news feeds. Even though the immediate attacks
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The morning hustle inside Serafina Studios was louder than usual, but the atmosphere felt incredibly suffocating. Even though Zane’s team was actively moving in the background to intercept the logistics freeze, Mich could feel the invisible eyes of the high society judging her every move. She stood by the large glass window of her office, watching the city below, her mind drifting to a dark, quiet place.With every day that passed, the realization was hitting her harder than before. She couldn't shake off the crushing weight of the social divide between them. To the elite world, to his family, she was just an event stylist who got lucky—a distraction. Meanwhile, Zane was a Villanueva, born to lead an empire and legally bound by tradition to marry someone like Veronica Delos Reyes.Mich clutched her cold hands together, feeling an intense, quiet ache in her chest. Habang tumatagal, mas lalo niyang nare-realize kung gaano kalaki ang pagitan ng mundong ginagalawan nila. The she
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The rain outside felt like a cruel reflection of the chaos tearing through Mich’s chest. Inside the quiet office, after Veronica had marched out, Mich’s gaze fell sharply on the brown envelope. Her hands trembled as she picked up the documents inside, but it wasn't just the surveillance photos th
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Mich's POVThe moment I saw the name on Zane's phone, something inside me tightened.Veronica.Hindi ko kilala nang personal ang babae. Hindi pa. Pero sapat na ang pangalan para maalala ko ang mga bagay na pilit kong hindi iniisip simula nang magkita kaming muli ni Zane.Reality.
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Zane's POV"Because now I know where to find you." The moment the words left my mouth, I saw the look in Mich's eyes. Half amused. Half suspicious. And completely beautiful. She rolled her eyes before crossing her arms."That's not creepy at all." I grinned."I'll take that as a compl
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