27: The Audit Begins
Nene stared at Alexander's message, fingers hovering over her phone screen.
She had expected him to notice.
But she hadn't expected it to be this fast.
[Text from Alexander:]
Alexander: You're making purchases.
[Text to Alexander:]
Nene: Yeah. So?
A beat.
Then—
[Text from Alexander:]
Alexander: You bought a modeling agency.
Nene grimaced.
…Okay.
So he already knew exactly what she did.
[Text to Alexander:]
Nene: Correction. A modeling agency and a private club.
[Text from Alexander:]
Alexander: I know.
[Text to Alexander:]
Nene: Then why are you texting me like I committed a crime? I thought the money was mine.
A pause.
Then—
[Text from Alexander:]
Alexander: It is. But that doesn't mean I won't monitor where it goes.
Nene rolled her eyes.
Of course he was monitoring it.
He probably had real-time alerts for every dollar she spent.
[Text to Alexander:]
Nene: What, you don't approve of my investments?
[Text from Alexander:]
Alexander: I don't approve of you playing games.
Nene froze.
Because that?
That was not a casual response.
That was a warning.
A very controlled, very Alpha warning.
She swallowed, shifting in her seat.
Before she could respond, another message came through.
[Text from Alexander:]
Alexander: Who was the previous owner?
Her stomach twisted.
Because she knew what he was really asking.
He wasn't worried about the business itself.
He was wondering who she was connected to.
Who she was keeping in her circle.
She hesitated for just a second—
Then typed.
[Text to Alexander:]
Nene: He Tian.
Three seconds later—
Nene stared at the screen, watching Alexander's name flash in bold letters.
She had two options.
Answer and face the consequences.
Or Ignore it and face worse consequences.
…Yeah. Not really a choice.
She exhaled sharply and swiped to answer.
"Hello, dear husband," she said, voice dripping with fake sweetness. "What can I do for you?"
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Tell me," Alexander said smoothly, "why He Tian?"
Nene leaned back, rolling her eyes. "Because he was selling. And I had money. Simple as that."
Alexander's tone didn't change.
"You could have bought anything," he said. "But you chose an exclusive modeling agency and a private club. One that caters to high-end clients, many of whom happen to be Omegas and Betas working under strict contracts."
Nene narrowed her eyes.
"You make it sound so scandalous," she said. "It's just a business, Alexander."
"Is it?"
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
Because—ugh.
She hated how he could take anything she did and make it sound like a high-stakes power move.
"It's a good investment," she muttered. "It has strong revenue, a reputable brand, and I already know how it works from past collaborations."
Alexander was silent.
Then, after a long pause—
"And you didn't think it was relevant to tell me?"
Nene bristled. "Why would I?"
"You're my wife."
Nene rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean you own my decisions."
Another pause.
Then—his voice dropped slightly.
"I own the money."
Nene froze.
That was dangerous territory.
Her pulse jumped as Alexander continued, voice low and even.
"You can spend it however you want," he murmured. "But don't pretend you didn't do this just to get under my skin."
Nene scowled.
Because he wasn't wrong.
But she sure as hell wasn't going to admit that.
She exhaled sharply. "Are you canceling the deal?"
A pause.
"No," Alexander said. "But I'm making adjustments."
Nene's stomach dropped.
Oh, hell no.
"What kind of adjustments?" she demanded.
Alexander's smirk was audible.
"You'll find out soon enough."
And then He hung up.
Nene barely had ten minutes to process Alexander's cryptic threat before her phone buzzed again.
This time?
It was Tian.
She picked up immediately.
[Call with He Tian]
"Tian?" she said, already suspicious.
"Nene," Tian breathed, sounding panicked. "What the hell did you do?"
Nene blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"You didn't tell me you married Zhao Alexander."
Nene rolled her eyes. "I literally did."
Tian let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. "No, you told me in a text. You didn't tell me in a warning."
Nene frowned. "What happened?"
Tian was silent for a second.
Then, flatly—
"He happened."
Nene's stomach twisted.
"Tian," she said slowly. "Explain. Now."
Tian exhaled sharply. "Your husband just made ten calls in ten minutes. He contacted the club's suppliers, our security firm, the high-net-worth client list—even the landlord. He just put me through the worst business interrogation of my life, and I OWN the damn company."
Nene stiffened.
Alexander moved fast.
Too fast.
And the worst part?
She should have seen this coming.
Tian kept going, voice tight with disbelief.
"He just restructured half the contracts under his name, pulled my top financial officer into a meeting, and had three separate background checks done on me. IN TEN MINUTES."
Nene winced. "That… sounds like him."
Tian let out a hysterical laugh. "I use to be a simple free agent doing my business. Now I work for Zhao Alexander. Do you have any idea how terrifying that is?"
Nene gritted her teeth.
Because of course Alexander wasn't just going to let her play her little 'independent business owner' game without consequences.
No.
He had to remind everyone—including her—that he was still in control.
"Tian," she said carefully. "I'll talk to him."
Tian snorted. "Yeah, you do that. But until then—"
He paused, then said, very seriously—
"Stay at least ten feet away from me."
Nene froze. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Tian muttered. "I don't want that Alpha thinking I'm a problem."
Nene huffed. "You're being dramatic."
"You don't understand," Tian whispered. "Do you know what it's like to have a high-ranked Alpha call you personally and casually ruin your entire five-year plan in under ten minutes?"
Nene grimaced.
…Okay. Fair.
She ran a hand through her hair. "I'll fix this."
Tian laughed humorlessly. "Sure. You go tell the richest, most possessive Alpha in the country to chill. See how that works out for you."
Nene exhaled sharply.
She was going to kill Alexander.