Page 202 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

“I’ll now let Dante Ivanov explain the benefits of this medication.”

The room goes silent.

I step up to the microphone and greet the audience.

“This treatment is the dream of a brilliant and relentless scientist: Valeria Ivanov. She developed Auzene, and once again, we owe this breakthrough to her. What makes this drug unique? It promotes nerve repair, improves post-traumatic recovery, and stimulates neuronal regeneration. In short, it opens unprecedented possibilities for patients suffering from neurological or brain injuries.”

Even from here, I can feel Wald’s anger building as he realizes exactly what we’re talking about—and what we intend to do.

Questions explode across the room.

Henri answers with precision, never revealing too much.

Yes, production could begin quickly.

Yes, we are aiming for market release within eighteen months.

Possibly sooner, if everything aligns.

Wald has stopped taking notes altogether.

He’s staring at Henri.

Then at me.

That’s when he makes his mistake.

He stands.

“If I may,” he says with a smile I instantly hate. “I wouldn’t want anyone leaving this convention with the wrong impression. Ciphera will release a treatment with the same characteristics within six months. Our patent is currently awaiting validation.”

A murmur ripples through the room. Journalists begin scribbling furiously.

Six months.

I meet Henri’s gaze. Nothing in his expression gives anything away.

There it is.

Done.

To honor that public commitment, Wald will have to mobilize massive capital—and fast. Money he’ll need to move urgently.

And when dirty money moves quickly and in large amounts, it leaves traces.

Andrea and Inspector Sanders will handle the rest.

By the time I return to the manor, I’m exhausted.

The tension that’s been building for days is finally beginning to ease, leaving nothing behind but fatigue.

As often happens these days, I find Valeria asleep on the couch.

She opens her eyes the moment I sit beside her.

And that simple look hits me hard.

That absolute trust she has in me. The way she instantly relaxes as soon as I’m there, as if my mere presence is enough to make her lower her guard.