Moana stepped forward. She smiled broadly.

"Sean, how about we settle this amicably? We can both move on with our lives in peace afterward."

The woman paused for a moment before continuing in a softer voice.

"I’ve stopped dragging your family into this. My father has kept his mouth shut. All those transactions are gone. And you..." Moana looked Sean straight in the eye. "You stop ruining my life."

Sean narrowed his eyes.

"Your life?" he laughed hollowly. "You call this your life being ruined?"

Moana wasn’t offended. If anything, her smile grew thinner.

"You think I’m okay now?" she asked softly. "The whole town hates me. Everyone calls me a whore, a homewrecker, a cheap woman."

Mrs. Freddy immediately chimed in, "Sean, just listen—"

"Shut up," Sean cut her off coldly, without taking his eyes off Moana.

The room fell silent again.

Sean’s gaze dropped briefly to Moana’s face.

And damn it, now he really saw her clearly. Not as the sexy woman who had once made him drunk with love. Not as an enemy either. But as someone just as broken as he was.

Moana gave a small, hollow laugh.

"Funny, isn’t it?" she said softly. "You were willing to destroy Clara for me back then."

The mention of Clara’s name made Sean’s jaw clench again.

"But now..." Moana continued softly, "you’re looking at me like I’m the biggest mistake of your life."

Sean didn’t answer. Because that was the truth. And Sean’s silence was the most painful answer of all.

Moana’s smile slowly faded. For the first time that night, the woman’s eyes finally looked tired.

"I really did believe that you loved me," she whispered.

Mr. Freddy immediately clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Moana, don’t start with the drama again."

But Moana ignored her father. Her gaze remained fixed on Sean.

"Answer me honestly." Her voice was lower now. "If you could turn back time... would you still choose me?"

The room suddenly felt silent. Mrs. Freddy looked tense. Mr. Freddy began to feel uneasy. Because even they knew Sean’s answer might shatter their own daughter.

Sean stared at Moana for a long time. Then finally...

"No."

One word. Short. Cold.

But enough to make the air in the room feel heavy.

Moana froze. Her gaze wavered slightly, though she tried to keep smiling.

And Sean continued in a hoarse, exhausted voice.

"If I could go back in time..." his jaw tightened, "I would never have touched you."

Mrs. Freddy snapped angrily. "How dare you!"

Mr. Freddy took a step forward, his emotions boiling over. "How dare you speak to her like that after everything you’ve done to my daughter?!"

But Sean didn’t care anymore. He was too tired to pretend.

Moana gave a small laugh. A strange laugh. It sounded almost like someone who had just lost something she’d always known was bound to be lost.

"Wow..." she whispered softly, nodding slightly. "That hurts more than all the insults on the internet."

Sean looked away for a moment. Because a small part of him did feel guilty.

He was the one who made Moana believe that she was the center of his world. He was the one who spoiled Moana. He was the one who made her feel like she’d won over Clara.

And now? He’d destroyed it all with his own hands.

Moana took a deep breath and looked back at Sean.

"Okay," she finally said in a much calmer voice. "Then let’s talk business."

Sean’s gaze turned cold again. "What do you want?"

Moana crossed her arms over her chest. "Money."

Mr. Freddy immediately nodded quickly. "Exactly! Compensation!"

Mrs. Freddy stepped forward as well. "After everything that happened to our daughter—"

But Moana raised her hand slowly, signaling her parents to be quiet.

"I don’t need your love anymore, Sean," she said calmly. "But I’m not going down alone either."

Sean let out a small, ironic laugh.

"Well," he muttered coldly. "Finally, we’ve gotten to the real point."

Moana didn’t deny it.

"My life is ruined," she said bluntly. "My family’s debts are piling up. And the public has already destroyed my reputation."

Her gaze sharpened slightly. "If I go down, I’ll make sure you go down with me."

The atmosphere instantly turned icy. Sean stared at Moana for a few seconds, expressionless. Then, slowly... he gave a small smile.

But that smile was anything but warm.

"Now I truly understand why my mom and dad used to hate you, and why they loved Clara so much. Because Clara has a human heart, while we have the hearts of demons."

Those words made Moana’s face change instantly. Her face flushed bright red.

"Damn you, Sean!" Mr. Freddy snapped.

The man immediately stepped forward as if he were about to attack Sean right then and there. But Sean stood his ground, not backing down an inch.

His gaze was cold. Empty. And that was precisely what made the atmosphere feel even more tense.

Mrs. Freddy hurriedly held her husband back. "Enough! Don’t cause any more trouble!"

"Trouble?!" Mr. Freddy snapped harshly. "He insulted our daughter in our own home!"

Sean gave a small, hollow laugh.

"Insulted?" he repeated softly. "I was just stating the facts."

Moana’s face grew even redder. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. But strangely... the woman wasn’t crying. She wasn’t hysterical.

Instead, her gaze slowly grew even colder.

"Oh... So now I’m the devil?" she asked softly.

Sean looked her straight in the eye. "Aren’t we exactly that?"

The room fell silent. The statement felt strange because Sean wasn’t just pointing at Moana. He was also insulting himself.

Sean ran a hand over his rough face, then continued in a low, weary voice.

"We’ve been slowly destroying Clara for years." His jaw tightened. "And back then, we didn’t even feel guilty."

Moana froze for a moment. Because for the first time... Sean was admitting everything outright.

It wasn’t just an affair. It was the destruction they had caused Clara.

Mrs. Freddy clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Don’t start acting like my daughter is the one at fault! Clara was also stupid for sticking with a man like you!"

"Mom," Moana cut in softly.

Mrs. Freddy fell silent immediately.

Moana’s gaze remained fixed on Sean. There was no love left. No obsession.

All that remained was regret and disgust for her own past. And that was far more painful than hatred.

Moana let out a hollow little laugh.

"How funny," she whispered softly. "You used to say Clara was too boring."

Sean looked away briefly. Because he had indeed said that.

Back then, Clara was too calm for him. Too gentle. Too patient.

Whereas Moana felt wild, daring, and kept Sean’s adrenaline pumping.

But now?

Sean actually missed all the things he used to find boring. A quiet home. A simple dinner. A woman waiting for him to come home. No drama. No games. No threats.

And unfortunately...

He only realized the value of all that after destroying it himself.

Moana took a deep breath.

"Okay," she finally said, nodding slightly. "Then we don’t need to talk about feelings anymore."

Sean stared at her coldly again. "Tell me what you want."

Moana smiled faintly.

"The apartment."

Sean frowned.

"The car."

Sean’s gaze grew sharper.

"And cash."

Mr. Freddy immediately chimed in, "At least enough to cover all our family’s debts!"

Mrs. Freddy nodded vigorously. "And after that, we’ll keep quiet!"

Sean chuckled. This time, his laugh sounded completely hollow.

"You’re even selling your own daughter’s dignity."

Mr. Freddy flew into a rage again. "How dare you—!"

"Don’t pretend to be offended," Sean cut in coldly. "You’ve been trying to blackmail my family from the start."

The room grew tense again. Yet Moana remained calm. She stepped closer until she was only a few paces away from Sean.

"You can hate me now," she said softly. "But don’t pretend this is all my fault."

Sean was silent.

"You used to enjoy it all." Moana’s eyes began to redden. "You liked my body. You liked it when I made you feel alive. You liked it when I made you forget about Clara."

Sean’s jaw tightened. Because once again... she was right.

Moana gave a small, bitter smile.

"So don’t stand in front of me and act like you’re the most innocent victim."

Silence.

Sean stared at Moana for a long time. Then he finally said softly,

"I’m not innocent."

Moana’s expression shifted slightly. Sean continued in a much lower voice.

"I’m just starting to realize... we’re destroying someone who doesn’t deserve to be destroyed."

"So now you regret it?" Moana laughed.

"Yes! I deeply regret about betraying Clara for you!"

"You idiot!" Moana laughed. "So what do you want now?"

"To destroy you, Moana!" Sean glared, then laughed.

"Don’t think I’m stupid. Don’t think you’ll be able to blackmail me that easily! No matter what you try, you won’t get a single dollar out of me. Don’t even dream of it!" Sean grinned.

"Stop threatening my company or my family. If you don’t, you all will be dead by tomorrow!" he threatened.

Moana laughed when she heard that.

"I won’t stop terrorizing your family and the people at your company until you’re exhausted and ask me to make peace!"