After the wedding, outsiders saw only brilliance.
A marriage of power, wealth, and perfection — praised by the media as "the golden alliance."
But only those within it could sense that darkness had begun to descend like mist, silent and unseen.
This was when the masks were worn.
And one by one… each of them would have to rely on those masks to survive.
/Tống Group — Troubles Emerging Step by Step… Yet Never by Chance/
Three months after the marriage, small disturbances began appearing within Tống Group.
Nothing serious.
Nothing that threatened the conglomerate.
Yet each issue struck precisely at the most crucial points:
– the legal department misfiled documents by 0.3%
– a commercial project was delayed due to auditing review
– the logistics division encountered problems with a minor shipping contractor
– a foreign partner demanded a contract re-evaluation
Each problem was minor.
But every one landed on the most sensitive links in the chain.
The strange part was this:
Every time a disruption appeared — ÉCLAT's reputation rose slightly.
As though her light was being lifted higher to cover the flaws of the conglomerate.
Dĩ Yến continued handling everything with strength.
She did not panic.
She did not hesitate.
She had been forged in the fires of Italy and tempered through international corporate battles.
These disturbances were not enough to shake her.
Yet she still felt something… was wrong.
/Ngạo Thiên — Playing the Role of the Perfect Husband/
One afternoon, he personally drove her back to the Tống residence.
He always appeared attentive — never excessive, never abrupt.
Just enough to resemble a devoted husband.
"Tống Group has been dealing with some instability lately. Are you tired?"
he asked in a warm voice.
She shook her head.
"I can handle it. Just small frictions."
He turned to Tống Hành, speaking politely yet with quiet precision.
"Father… Vũ Holdings is always ready to assist.
If Tống Group needs additional support, please let me know."
Tống Hành looked at him.
His eyes held both gratitude… and suspicion.
"They're only minor issues. Tống Group has the strength to handle them."
Ngạo Thiên nodded with a gentle smile.
"Then call me if needed.
I don't want Yến carrying too much on her shoulders."
Tống Hành looked at him for another second.
A very long second.
He wondered:
The perfect son-in-law… or the man pulling the strings of the board?
But every trace was clean.
No evidence led to Ngạo Thiên.
No logical chain connected him to the disturbances.
He could not accuse a man who fulfilled the roles of husband and son-in-law so flawlessly.
And that was precisely why Ngạo Thiên was dangerous.
/Ngạo Thiên's Mask — So Perfect No One Believes He Could Be Cruel/
Whenever a minor issue appeared, he was always the first to ask:
"Are you tired?"
"Do you want me to review the contract?"
"I can ask the Vũ Holdings market analysis team to take a look."
His concern was light as wind.
Sweet as honey.
No one noticed the blade hidden beneath.
Dĩ Yến was touched many times.
Tống Hành felt grateful… yet increasingly uneasy.
And Ngạo Thiên?
He remained exactly as he appeared—
Calm.
Gentle.
And dangerously unreadable.
/Ngạo Thần — The Only One Who Sees the Real Hand/
Across the entire business world, only one person knew the truth.
The fluctuations within Tống Group followed a pattern he knew well.
So familiar… that he didn't even need to investigate to recognize the author.
Ngạo Thiên.
And only Ngạo Thần could read it.
One afternoon at Vũ Holdings, he reviewed Tống Group's capital flow charts while simultaneously monitoring ÉCLAT's market reactions.
Ngạo Thần sighed softly.
"You've started moving again…"
Yet as always, he did not interfere.
Not because he was afraid.
But because:
1. Ngạo Thiên was his brother — the man he respected most.
2. He believed his brother never acted without reason.
3. He did not know the true history between Ngạo Thiên and Tống Group.
4. And he could not disrupt his brother's plan without understanding it completely.
He also understood one thing clearly:
If Ngạo Thiên was targeting only Tống Group, then this was not a business competition.
It was something deeper — something outside the marketplace.
Ngạo Thần opened his laptop and sent an investigation request through a private channel — an intelligence unit specializing in financial networks and international elite relations.
The message contained only one line:
I want the full history between Vũ Ngạo Thiên and Tống Group over the past twenty years.
At first, it was merely a preliminary probe.
But the deeper the investigation followed the trail, the darker it became.
Eventually, the analysts had to transfer the case to a branch in Zurich to trace data that had been buried deep within international systems for decades.
One evening at dinner, Ngạo Thần casually asked:
"The market has felt a little… strange lately.
Have you noticed?"
Ngạo Thiên, pouring tea, smiled faintly.
"Strange things happen in markets. They never stay still."
A perfect answer.
So perfect that if it weren't Ngạo Thần listening, no one would hear the hidden concealment within it.
Ngạo Thần asked nothing further.
He only looked at his brother, his gaze deep and slightly pained.
"Brother… what are you really trying to do?"
/Dĩ Yến — A Heart Beginning to Notice a Tiny Crack/
The small disturbances kept appearing.
Then disappearing.
Never large.
Never threatening.
But always… consistent.
Like someone knocking on Tống Group's door every week.
Not attacking.
Just knocking.
Creating sound.
Creating pressure.
Making those inside feel they must remain alert.
She began to feel tired.
Not from work.
But from the strange unease growing inside her heart.
One night she said to Ngạo Thiên:
"I feel something… isn't normal.
Tống Group shouldn't be experiencing so many small disruptions."
Ngạo Thiên brushed her hair gently.
His voice was smooth as pearls.
"Don't worry. You're handling everything well.
Your father is strong. Everything will be fine."
She remained silent.
Then nodded.
But when she turned and fell asleep—
Ngạo Thiên opened his eyes in the darkness.
A faint curve appeared on his lips.
Not the smile of happiness.
But the smile of someone controlling everything.
A man wearing the perfect mask.
A man hiding a blade inside his sleeve.
Message of Chapter 17
A strategist does not need powerful attacks —
only small tremors in exactly the right places.
A perfect husband does not need love —
only the ability to perform convincingly.
And in that game,
only those standing outside can see the mask…
while those inside believe it is the real face.