The tension in the boardroom remained suffocating.

Mr. Wijaya, his shirt still soaked and clinging to his torso, finally dragged his feet out of the room, followed closely by Mrs. Ratna, whose face was as pale as a sheet. Neither of them had an ounce of courage left to argue, let alone fight back.

Bella remained standing there, rooted to the spot. She simply couldn't walk away. Her mind was in complete turmoil, a storm raging inside her head. She stared at Aris's back as he calmly signed high-stakes documents with his gold fountain pen.

Something felt off. Something was deeply wrong.

The way this man sat, the way he held the pen, even the way his eyes scanned each page—it all felt familiar. Uncannily familiar. Bella felt as though she were looking at her husband, Aris, but a version that had been polished with millions of dollars.

"Why are you still here, Mrs. Bella?" Aris asked without bothering to look up. His voice was flat, completely void of emotion, yet a strange shiver ran down Bella’s spine.

Bella took a slow, hesitant step toward the massive desk. She searched for a crack in his facade, desperately looking for the lie beneath the mask. She knew her husband was gentle, submissive, perhaps even a bit naive. But the man sitting before her? He was a predator.

"You... you speak just like him," Bella murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Aris paused. He slowly set the pen down on the desk and leaned back against his plush leather chair, locking his eyes onto hers with an unreadable expression. A faint hint of amusement lay hidden behind his sharp gaze.

"Resemble him? Many men in this world share similarities, Madam. But I assure you, I bear no resemblance whatsoever to the man you treated like trash," Aris answered coldly.

Bella ignored his words. Her eyes were now locked onto a single spot on Aris's left wrist, where he was adjusting his timepiece to check the hour.

There it was.

Bella’s heart skipped a beat. That watch. A Patek Philippe Grand Complications with a deep black alligator leather strap.

Bella's world began to spin. She remembered with absolute clarity buying that exact watch in secret a year ago. It was an anniversary gift she had been saving for Aris—a gift she never got to give him because of the chaotic scene her mother had caused the night before. She had hidden it in her vanity drawer, and she was certain—absolutely certain—that Aris had never touched it.

Or had he... found it?

"That watch..." Bella’s voice trembled violently. "Where did you get that watch?"

Aris followed Bella’s gaze down to his wrist. A smirking smile touched his lips—one that exuded supreme arrogance while concealing a deep, aching pain. He deliberately pulled his cuff up higher, letting the timepiece gleam under the room's bright lights.

"This watch? It’s a rare piece. Only ten exist in the world," Aris said casually, as if talking about his morning coffee. "Why? Do you recognize it?"

Bella couldn't answer. Her breath hitched in her throat. She stepped closer, almost reaching out to touch his hand, but caught herself just in time. "I bought that exact watch... It was meant to be a gift for my husband."

Aris let out a soft, dry laugh—a sharp, hollow sound. He swiftly pulled his arm back, acting as though he were disgusted by the thought of her touch. "Is that so? What a fascinating coincidence. Perhaps your husband sold it to me to cover his pitiful living expenses."

"Impossible! He would never sell it!" Bella cried out, tears welling up and spilling over her cheeks. "Aris is an honest man! He would never steal or sell something I gave him!"

Aris stood up from his chair. He walked around the desk, closing the distance between them until they were mere inches apart. He could smell her perfume—a soft scent of fresh roses that he used to adore. But now, that fragrance only served as a agonizing reminder of betrayal.

"Oh, so now you defend him?" Aris glared straight into Bella’s eyes. "Yesterday, when your mother threw ice water in his face, you stood there in silence. You let him be humiliated in front of another man. And now, just because you see a watch, you suddenly care?"

Bella froze, completely backed into a corner. Aris’s words hit her far harder than any physical blow ever could. She couldn't deny it. She had stayed silent when he was doused in cold water. She had done nothing when the divorce papers were thrown at him.

"I... I didn't know what to do," Bella sobbed softly. "My mother was pressing me. My father threatened me. I had no choice, Aris—I mean, I had no choice to defend him!"

Aris stared at Bella with hollow eyes, as if looking at a total stranger. He walked back to his seat and sat down with cold detachment. He had no desire to hear any more excuses.

"That is your burden, Bella. Not mine," Aris said flatly. "Now, please leave my office. I have work to attend to. This company won't bankrupt itself, will it?"

Bella stood frozen. She stared once more at the watch on Aris's wrist, then studied his face with agonizing scrutiny. She searched for the tiny scar near his temple—the scar Aris had gotten on their very first date.

It wasn't there.

The man in front of her looked utterly flawless, without a single scar or blemish. Was it possible she was simply hallucinating from shock? Or had her husband really been hiding something so massive from her all along?

Bella turned around with heavy, unsteady steps. Just as her hand touched the door handle, Aris’s voice rang out once more.

"One more thing, Bella. Don't bother trying to figure out who I am. Because if you find the truth, you won't like what you see."

The heavy door clicked shut behind her.

Bella stood in the quiet corridor, pressing a cold hand against her aching, tight chest. The tiny seed of suspicion had now blossomed into a dangerous, unrelenting obsession. She was going to find out. She would prove whether this cold, ruthless man was the husband she had once loved—or someone far more dangerous who had returned to burn their lives to the ground.

Inside the room, Aris looked down at his wrist. He slowly unbuckled the watch and set it gently on the desk. His hands were trembling slightly. Playing the ruthless stranger in front of the woman he still loved was harder than he cared to admit, but he had to hold the line.

The test wasn't over yet.