Second Madam took her seat quietly while servants began serving her breakfast. Her expression remained composed, but beneath the surface, bitterness lingered heavily. While everyone else discussed household matters, she alone knew exactly how much had been stolen from her overnight.

Second Madam lowered her eyes toward the breakfast placed before her as cautious conversation slowly resumed around the dining hall. Yet the atmosphere no longer felt natural. The events of the morning—Su Yao’s public humiliation, Su Wan’s calm departure, and Lu Shaohan’s silent acceptance—still hung heavily over the table.

One of the older Lu uncles finally cleared his throat. "The situation inside the residence has become unstable lately."

No one contradicted him. Even the servants moved more quietly than usual. Old Master Lu’s expression darkened slightly. "Security will be tightened again," he said calmly. "From now on, nobody enters or leaves the residence without authorization."

Second Madam lifted her teacup slowly. The decision was dangerous. In families like theirs, sealing the residence too tightly only bred suspicion, and when powerful families began suspecting one another, they often destroyed themselves faster than any outsider could.

Across the table, Zhang Hui lowered her gaze before speaking in a soft voice. "Will the women also be restricted?"

Old Master Lu glanced briefly toward the three pregnant women. "For now, yes."

The answer visibly unsettled them. Until now, they had clung to some illusion of freedom inside the Lu Residence. That illusion was rapidly fading.

Lu Meiqi frowned at once. "Grandfather, isn’t that excessive? They’re carrying Lu family heirs."

"Exactly why they will remain protected," Old Master Lu replied coldly.

The word "protected" carried a clear double meaning. In families like theirs, protection and surveillance were often one and the same.

Lu Shaohan remained silent throughout the exchange, his gaze lowered to the tablet beside his plate as reports continued to appear on the screen. His attention, however, was elsewhere—on Su Wan’s departure, on her calm refusal, and on the unsettling sense that she was moving ahead of him without explanation.

Suddenly, a servant hurried into the dining hall and stopped beside Old Master Lu. He leaned in and whispered something near his ear. The atmosphere shifted at once. Old Master Lu’s eyes sharpened.

"When?" he asked quietly.

"Just now."

Second Madam’s fingers tightened slightly around her teacup. "What happened?"

Old Master Lu slowly lowered the napkin in his hand. "One of the Lu Conglomerate’s secondary shareholders has disappeared this morning."

Silence crashed over the table. Even Lu Shaohan lifted his eyes fully.

The servant swallowed nervously before continuing. "His office has been unable to contact him for hours. His vehicle was found abandoned near the eastern district."

The timing was far too precise.

At that exact moment, far outside the Lu Residence, Su Wan’s taxi was driving deeper into the city.

Inside the moving taxi, none of them spoke for the first several minutes. The city flowed past the windows as morning traffic thickened along the main roads leading away from the Lu Residence district. Sunlight glinted off glass towers and crowded intersections, but the atmosphere inside the vehicle remained heavy with caution.

The black bags rested quietly at their feet—ordinary in appearance, yet dangerously loaded. Su Wan sat beside the window, calm and composed, while Li Chen occasionally checked the rearview mirror.

"No tails so far," he murmured.

Mo Chen kept his eyes on the tablet resting against his knee, scanning several shareholder profiles before lowering the screen. "We need safer holding locations," he said quietly. "If the Lu Residence tightens security any further, keeping anything there will become too risky."

Su Wan nodded once. "I know."

Her gaze drifted back to the passing city. On the surface everything looked normal, but beneath it Second Madam was already mobilizing, Chairman Su had likely sealed his estate, and powerful players were beginning to search for whoever had entered that study.

The taxi eventually slowed in an older commercial district and stopped beside a narrow side street lined with banks, legal offices, and aging buildings. Su Wan stepped out first. Li Chen paid the driver while Mo Chen quietly collected the bags. No one on the street paid them any attention.

The three of them crossed the road and entered an unassuming private financial building tucked between two larger corporate towers. The receptionist rose immediately upon recognizing Li Chen.

"Mr. Li."

"We reserved a private room," he said calmly.

She nodded without asking questions and escorted them upstairs to a secure office away from the public floors. The moment the door closed behind them, Mo Chen set the bags on the table.

Silence filled the room as the bags were opened one by one, revealing stacks of cash, encrypted drives, and copies of sensitive documents—more than enough hidden money to quietly destabilize smaller companies if used correctly.

Li Chen exhaled softly. "We really robbed monsters."

Mo Chen glanced at him. "No," he corrected quietly. "We stole from people worse than monsters."

Su Wan stood near the windows overlooking the street below, her expression calm, cold, and focused. This money was no longer merely for survival. It had become leverage, power, and protection. For the first time since entering the Lu Residence, she finally possessed the resources to build something beyond mere defense.

Then her phone vibrated softly.

The room stilled at once. Su Wan glanced down at the screen. Unknown number.

She answered calmly. "Hello?"

Silence greeted her for a brief moment.

Then a male voice spoke, low and measured. "Madam Lu... we should discuss the shareholder you’re trying to buy."

The atmosphere inside the private office shifted the moment the voice spoke.

"Madam Lu," the man repeated calmly, "I think we should discuss the shareholder you’re trying to buy."

Li Chen’s expression hardened at once. Mo Chen quietly lowered the tablet in his hand. Su Wan remained standing near the windows, perfectly still.

Only three people were supposed to know about the shareholder acquisition plans. The caller’s calm, measured tone immediately set her on edge.