On the rooftop of the CK Group headquarters in the heart of Pudong, a violent gust of wind brought a wave of biting cold, whipping through Gawin’s suit. Below lay the sun drenched skyline of Shanghai, yet the brilliance of the afternoon could not withstand the creeping chill.

  Adisorn stepped out from behind, his footsteps as silent as a shadow. He came to a halt beside Gawin, his deep, piercing gaze fixed on the horizon where the skyline began to blur into a pale mist.

  Gawin spared a sideways glance at the man beside him before offering a faint, gentle smile—the kind that revealed a dimple and looked entirely harmless, yet held a hidden depth. "I suppose you’re playing the game your own way, aren't you?"

  Adisorn paused for a heartbeat, his lips curling into a mocking smirk. "You shouldn't trust me too much, you know."

  "Heh..." Gawin chuckled softly, his eyes still locked on the grandeur before them. "What makes you think I ever trusted you to begin with?"

  Adisorn couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. The stillness in his eyes ignited with a spark of challenge. "It seems you’ve seen through me from the start."

  Gawin stared ahead, his eyes reflecting the soft sunlight like a cat’s gleaming with hidden claws beneath a coat of soft fur.

  The wind surged again, tugging at their suits. Gawin, who had previously seemed like a friendly, harmless ally, now revealed the blade concealed behind that warm smile.

  "That engineering report sent to Wen Jie... it was your doing, wasn't it?" Adisorn asked the question that had been gnawing at him. He had once judged Gawin as someone who couldn't read people, but now he realized how dead wrong he was.

  "And that same report was funneled to me... was it all part of your plan?" Adisorn looked at him suspiciously. Gawin merely laughed heartily, a smile as bright as the morning sun.

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  "I know nothing about this 'report' you speak of..." Gawin turned to meet Adisorn’s gaze directly, his posture regal and upright. "I should be the one asking you... how you managed to plan such a seamless retaliation."

  Adisorn furrowed his brows. Gawin’s smile turned playful. "Or perhaps... there’s a third party reaping the rewards of this chaos, staying out of sight while you suspect me just as I might suspect you."

  Gawin paused, looking out at the vast sky. "A game... is just a game. No one shows their face at the start. You only realize the truth when it’s time to walk off the board." The CEO slid his hands into his pockets. "So, who do you think is the real architect behind the curtain?"

  Adisorn narrowed his eyes, his jaw tightening until the muscle pulsed.

  "Of course, no one knows..." Gawin arched an eyebrow playfully, leaving a chilling implication that rattled the demon in Adisorn for the first time. "Because right now, everyone is hiding their real hand behind their back, waiting to sweep the board in one final move."

  Adisorn stared in suspicion. Gawin was no longer a variable he could overlook. Beneath that bright exterior lay a tactical depth that signaled one thing: this man was no lamb to be led by the nose.

  "Very well," Adisorn murmured, his voice turning deathly cold. "From here on... I won't be holding back either."

  Gawin nodded slowly, accepting the challenge without a hint of fear. "Good... I was starting to find 'predictable' plans a bit boring myself. I prefer the unexpected."

  The atmosphere crackled with a faint static, ready to ignite at any second. The wind howled again, but neither moved. It was as if the world had stood still, waiting for the start of a new war... a war where there are no true allies.

  Ming Zhi slammed the documents onto his desk. BANG! The overhead lights reflected off his grimace, highlighting every line of stress on his face. His withered fingers traced the engineering report once more.

  Initially, he had split the data into two: a false set for Wen Jie to leak during the meeting to destroy the heir's credibility, and the correct set for Gawin to use as a counter-strike. But what he had failed to consider was... was the engineer who delivered those reports actually his man?

  "This wasn't a technical error..." Ming Zhi hissed, throwing the papers to the floor. "Someone read everyone's move with absolute clarity. And now, all of us... are just pawns on a board, ready to be discarded at any moment."

  A chill far sharper than the wind on the rooftop raced down the old strategist’s spine. For decades, he believed he sat above everyone else. Now, he realized he had been lured by an invisible hand into a fire he had started himself.