Chapter 96: A New Ally

Riley knew things, and that didn’t surprise Cora at all.

You don’t become a company vice president without having real access.

“Maybe you won’t believe this,” Riley said, lowering her voice, “but you look exactly like Liam’s late fiancée. Not just similar—identical.”

Cora froze. “What?”

Riley turned her tablet toward her. “See for yourself.”

It didn’t take much digging to find Qara’s photo—M University’s legendary campus goddess, still featured on the school’s official site years after her death. No one since had ever come close to her level of fame.

Cora’s eyes widened. The girl on the screen had her face. Every curve, every feature.

Her breath caught. This can’t be real.

She zoomed in, over and over. The resemblance was uncanny. The same eyes. The same mouth. Even the same faint dimple near the cheekbone.

Cora sat back, speechless.

“Right?” Riley said, amused. “And if I’m this shocked, imagine what went through Liam’s mind when he saw you.”

Cora’s mind flashed through every encounter with Liam—the first meeting, his pause, that strange flicker in his eyes.

He can’t have mistaken me for her… can he?

But she couldn’t ignore the possibility. She’d been adopted; her past before age six was a blank.

Still—no. The Davis family, with all their history and pride, would never abandon a child. That was impossible.

She took a slow breath. Whatever her origins were, her mother was Zoy. That was the only truth she needed.

Cora handed the tablet back, though her curiosity lingered. “So… what happened to her?”

Riley hesitated, then shrugged. “Guess it won’t hurt to tell you.”

And she did—about Qara, the prodigy who painted her way onto the global stage, fluent in eight languages, adored by the media. About her sudden illness, and Liam’s unshakable devotion even after her death.

By the time Riley finished, Cora’s heart softened.

No wonder Liam looked at her that way.

He wasn’t flirting. He was mourning.

There weren’t many men like that left—men who stayed loyal to the dead.

Cora sighed. “He must’ve loved her a lot.”

Riley smiled faintly. “Yeah. That kind of love usually ruins you.”

That night, for the first time in days, Cora actually slept.

⸻

Morning sunlight spilled through the villa windows. Rested and clear-headed, Cora tugged Riley with her back to the main section of the estate.

Dina was waiting by the road.

She looked radiant—too radiant for someone claiming to be terminally ill. Her posture alone screamed satisfaction.

Bragging, are we? Cora thought grimly.

After hearing Liam’s tragic story, her patience for Dina had evaporated.

And Julian—well, his silence only confirmed what she already knew.

Responsibility. That was all she meant to him.

So when Dina stormed up, eyes flashing, and snapped, “Cora, what’s that supposed to mean? You gave me the room key—why didn’t you stop Julian from leaving?”

Cora blinked. He didn’t go back?

For some reason, her chest loosened in relief.

Riley, however, was already stepping forward, voice like a whip. “Excuse me? Cora spent the night with me. Maybe next time check your facts before throwing accusations around.”

Dina’s eyes narrowed. “And who are you supposed to be? This is between me and her.”

“Oh, I’m nobody,” Riley said sweetly. “Just someone who can’t stand watching a mistress act like she’s the victim. You want him so badly? Get him to divorce his wife and marry you. Otherwise, maybe stop playing the dying saint.”

The words hit like open-handed slaps.

Dina’s face flushed crimson. Cora had never spoken to her that way before, not even when Dina ruined her life the first time. But Riley—Riley didn’t do mercy.

Dina’s lips trembled. She dropped to her knees, clutching her head. “Ah—my head—Cora, it hurts! Please don’t be angry with me, I didn’t mean it!”

“Here we go,” Riley muttered.

Dina’s tears fell hard and fast. “Cora, the doctors said the tumor’s growing faster than expected… maybe I don’t even have a month left. You’re the only friend I have left in the world. Please don’t leave me alone.”

Cora’s anger faltered. Her throat tightened.

“Fine,” she said quietly. “Then go see your doctor. I wasn’t with Julian last night—I was with Riley. Whatever he did, I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’ve helped you as much as I can, Dina. If you really believe he still loves you, then fight for him yourself.”

She turned away, tugging Riley’s wrist.

Riley muttered as they walked off, “You’re way too soft. So what if she’s dying? If every ex who got sick could come back and steal someone’s husband, the world would be chaos.”

Cora smiled faintly. “Thanks for being angry for me.”

For the first time in a long while, she felt like she’d gained something she’d been missing—a real friend.

⸻

Meanwhile, at Watson Group headquarters, Austin hadn’t slept all night. Under Julian’s orders, his team had hacked into a provincial government network, exposed a deputy mayor’s bribery trail, and uploaded the evidence straight onto the city’s official website.

Within minutes, the screenshots and videos flooded X, racking up over a hundred million reposts before sunrise.

By the time offices opened, the official had already been taken in for questioning.

In politics, “questioning” usually meant the end.

Liam saw the trending topic the moment he woke up.

One glance at the name, and his gut told him—this wasn’t coincidence.

Someone was cutting into his power base.

And whoever it was, they were smart. Clean. Invisible.

He stared at the screen for a long moment, expression unreadable.

Julian Watson, it seemed, was done playing nice.