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When Cosmo got home, he immediately called Eloise and told her about Arellano’s demands.

“What a nerve,” Eloise said, half laughing, half furious. She expected him to ask for something, but never thought it would reach this level of shamelessness.

They had already taken two hundred million as a bride price, yet now it felt like she was being sold off completely.

“Don’t agree to anything. Don’t give him a single thing,” Eloise said firmly. “I’ll deal with him myself.”

“And how exactly are you planning to talk to him?” Cosmo asked, clearly amused by the fire in her voice.

Eloise stayed silent for a moment. Gabriel was still with her then, but Cosmo knew full well she intended to use him as her shield in this negotiation.

“If he doesn’t learn to be content, it won’t just be the bay project he’ll lose. Even that Lopez family he’s desperately trying to hold together might collapse for good.” Her tone was calm.

She had no doubt Cosmo could destroy the Lopez clan. If Arellano had any sense, he should already know his place.

Cosmo only smiled. “The Lopez family can’t handle such a massive project. He’ll definitely need a partner. And the one he’s been talking to lately? Gabriel.”

Eloise frowned. If Gabriel ended up with the project, it would look as though he, not Cosmo, had gained from all of Cosmo’s efforts.

“Then why are you still willing to give it to them?” she asked.

“It’s just one project. There are countless ways to make money. What matters more is that this deal finally severs your ties with the Lopez family.” Cosmo’s voice carried no irritation.

For him, the trade-off was worth it. But for Eloise, it was hard to accept that Arellano could get away so easily.

“In that case,” Eloise said, “help me demand something from him.”

“What is it?” Cosmo asked.

“The bride price. I already returned everything to him, but technically, the Dominguez family paid that for me. So it should belong to me. Please, talk to him about it for me.”

The marriage had been arranged by Tania, and as part of the deal, the Lopez family received the bride price, a staggering sum. But now that Eloise was cutting ties with them for good, it was only fair that the money return to her.

Cosmo smiled. “You really are clever.”

Eloise laughed. “Is that really how you see me?”

“If you were brainless, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Cosmo replied.

Eloise thought of Elaine. If Elaine had been in her position, there was no way she could have earned Cosmo’s respect.

Cosmo and Arellano met again, this time in a quiet coffee house.

After hearing what Cosmo had to say, Arellano’s calm expression slowly cracked. His voice carried anger. “Mr. Dominguez, what exactly are you trying to pull here?”

Cosmo stayed composed, savoring the aroma of the tea in a white porcelain cup before taking a slow sip and setting it back down with ease.

“Arellano, the profits from the bay project will far exceed that amount. That two hundred million bride price? It’s nothing.”

Arellano grimaced, irritation clear on his face, his eyes turning cold. “Did that really come from Eloise, or is this just one of your tricks?”

Cosmo remained calm. “It came from me.”

Arellano couldn’t hold back his suspicion. “If you think the bride price is such a small amount, then why are you even asking me to return it?”

He wasn’t stupid. He could sense the real motive behind it.

Cosmo smirked. “It was meant for Eloise. If she’s the rightful recipient, why won’t you return it? Or would you rather keep the money and lose the project?”

The message was clear: choose, money or the project.

Arellano clenched his fist, the veins on his temple bulging as he ground out, “Mr. Dominguez, you’re pushing too far.”

Cosmo answered without haste. “Here’s a piece of advice, Arellano. Learn when to stop. What you can get today, you may never get tomorrow.”

It was quiet but sharp, a threat not made lightly. Arellano knew Cosmo had the power to back it up.

His face grew pale with anger. “This is outrageous, Mr. Dominguez. You’re being abusive!”

Cosmo looked at him steadily and said in a calm, steady tone, “If I want to give, you should accept it gratefully. But if I don’t, not even a single centavo will be yours.”

On the surface, Cosmo was known as polite and easy to deal with. But behind his youth and gentle demeanor, there was depth to his character. Even without harsh words, he carried an authority that could not be ignored, that was what lifted the Dominguez Group to where it stood.

Under pressure, Arellano could only grit his teeth before reluctantly agreeing to Cosmo’s conditions, even knowing they were unfair to him.

Just a few days later, the news of Eloise and Cosmo’s upcoming wedding spread like wildfire across social media and telegram groups. Everyone was talking about it, on the streets, in offices, even in cafés.

During a break, Sasha noticed the news trending online. “Wow, it’s not just in our circle’s group chat. There are so many posts about you,” she said to Eloise in surprise.

Not long ago, Sasha herself had gone viral because of her fame as an internet personality with millions of followers. She was already well-known in the industry. But this time, the attention wasn’t on her, it was on Eloise, who was now making headlines as Cosmo’s fiancée.

Some people believed that the news had been deliberately spread. Since it suddenly disappeared after only a few hours, many suspected that the Dominguez Group had stepped in to take it down.

Meanwhile, Arellano still hadn’t transferred the 200 million bride price to Eloise. Apart from him, Cosmo, and Eloise, no one else knew that her ties with the Lopez family had been completely severed. That’s why, when the news about her and Cosmo’s relationship came out, Eloise couldn’t help but wonder, who was behind it, and what was their motive?

From Arellano’s perspective, he had secured the Bay Project in exchange for a daughter he had long treated as an investment rather than family. In the public’s eyes, the girl raised by the Lopez family was about to marry into the Dominguez family. To some, that made him Cosmo’s father-in-law, but to others, it looked like a loss.

As for Gabriel, who had obvious feelings for Chloe, Eloise knew he might have spread the news to bring Chloe closer to him, especially since Chloe had admired Cosmo for a long time. If the rumors about Cosmo and Eloise were true, Chloe might finally give up on Cosmo and turn her attention toward Gabriel.

Among all the people Eloise thought about, Arellano and Gabriel seemed the most likely to have started the rumors. Both had clear motives for using the situation for their own gain.

That evening, Cosmo brought it up with Eloise, and she immediately shared her suspicions.

“Do you know about Gabriel and Chloe?” Cosmo asked, looking surprised.

“Didn’t I tell you? I overheard Chloe and Ciela talking when I was at Baylon’s house,” Eloise replied, gently touching her ear as she explained what she had heard.

Cosmo was quiet for a moment before smiling. “Whether it’s Gabriel or Arellano, they’re working together. They share the same goal.”

Eloise didn’t deny it. “You don’t seem too surprised about Gabriel and Chloe. Have you known for a while?”

Cosmo gave a small smile. “Gabriel sees me as a rival. Do you really think it’s only about business?”

It was then Eloise realized, it wasn’t just business fueling the tension between them. A woman was involved, too.

From the very start of her interactions with Gabriel, she had felt something was off. Now that things were clearer, it all made sense.

Gabriel had grown up constantly living in Cosmo’s shadow, and it seemed that even the women who caught Cosmo’s attention were women Gabriel wanted to notice. When he discovered Cosmo had a special connection with Eloise, his interest sparked, not because of genuine love, but because he wanted to uncover what it was about her that had drawn Cosmo in.

And little by little, Eloise began to see the true motives of the people around her.