Iliya said nothing, only looking at Karu with eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Bai Lanxue let out a sharp, angry laugh.

"Even so, now that I'm back, shouldn't her term as Acting Secretary-General be terminated?" Karu gently patted Iliya’s waist as a gesture of comfort, then replied to Bai Lanxue, "I was originally planning to ask Xiaoya to step down and give the position back to you, but now it seems unnecessary. You clearly lack the necessary qualities for a Federal Secretary-General." Bai Lanxue’s eyes turned to blades, slicing viciously into Karu.

Karu’s confidence meant he must have a significant advantage. But she wasn’t afraid of him either!

Bai Lanxue showed no hint of fear. "If that’s the case, we'll settle this before the President." With that, she swept out, her sleeves trailing behind her.

Once she was gone, Iliya anxiously tugged at Karu’s sleeve. "That woman is so venomous; she will certainly find a way to harm you.

What should we do?" Karu’s angry heart instantly melted away. With such a gentle and considerate fiancée as Iliya, what reason did he have to remain angry?

Karu held Iliya tenderly in his arms, feeling the boneless softness of her body, wanting nothing more than to consume her entirely. He leaned down, kissing her frantically, slowly moving lower.

Iliya was one of the most successful artificially crafted beauties in space—though, in this era, finding purely natural beauties was increasingly rare. Her breasts stood proud, straining the buttons on her blouse.

She was wearing her professional work attire, yet its transparency exceeded fifty percent, revealing the black fabric of her half-cup bra beneath, spilling forth. Karu lost control, pushing her onto the vast expanse of the desk and reaching out to tear at her clothing.

Iliya lay on the desk, her eyes languid with desire. Clever as she was, Iliya knew precisely how to entice a man without letting him fully possess her.

With quick reflexes, she caught his hand, halting his next move, and breathed out in a tremor, "No~~!" Her voice was drawn out, exquisitely soft and yielding, yet accompanied by a magnificent, arresting presence. Karu couldn't restrain himself; he pressed his body onto hers and demanded, dissatisfied, "Why not?" Iliya extended a slender index finger to touch his lips, whispering shyly, "This is your office, someone might see us.

We have all the time in the world, lao niang." Karu grasped her hand, leaned down, pulled aside her undergarment, and licked the peak of her breast, then nipped and gnawed until Iliya was nearly furious. Reluctantly, he let go: "Tonight still has plenty of..." Iliya pushed him away in annoyance, wanting to erupt in anger, but realizing she had no leverage, she pouted, "Getting down to business is more important.

As long as she exists, she is a threat to you." The mere thought of Bai Lanxue completely extinguished Karu's desire. He pondered for a moment.

"You should go back first. I need to see the President to make sure she doesn't get there ahead of me." Iliya clung to him.

"I want to go with you." Karu lowered his head and kissed her lips. "Be good, go home and wait for me." Iliya pouted, smoothed her disheveled hair, re-fastened her buttons, and left in her high heels.

Karu straightened his clothes, wiped away the lipstick traces of Iliya from his mouth in the mirror, took two deep breaths, and headed to the President's office. Meanwhile, inside the office, the President and Bai Lanxue were conversing in a small meeting room intended only for two.

It was common knowledge that the President of the Interstellar Federation was a figurehead, an imbecile. What was incredible was that this imbecile had served for eight continuous years and was still in office.

He was like any normal man in space; he had undergone cosmetic surgery to appear imposing, and to make his muscles look more alluring, he used a method favored by sedentary men in space: cellular modification, resulting in a flawlessly sculpted body. Consequently, although he was well past his sixties, he appeared to be a vigorous man in his prime at thirty.

At that moment, the President yawned and slumped lazily on the sofa. "Bai Lanxue, I know you've done your share of work, if not merit, in the Federation over the years.

I won't treat you unfairly. Besides, we are on the same ship; your position as Secretary-General is secure; you aren't losing it." Bai Lanxue snapped, "I don't understand why you appointed someone I despise as Acting Secretary-General without consulting me!" The President explained, "Wasn't I trying to find a weakness in Karu?

Heroes have always been undone by beautiful women. With that woman around, he'll be taken down eventually." Bai Lanxue’s expression softened slightly.

"Do you have a good plan?" The President deliberately kept her in suspense. "You will know soon enough.

Trust me." Just as Bai Lanxue was about to speak, the door chimed. A robot announced from outside, "Mr.

President, Federal Marshal Karu requests an audience." Bai Lanxue stiffened, sat up straight, and eyed the President skeptically, waiting to see his reaction. The President stated, "No appointment, no seeing him." Bai Lanxue was finally satisfied.

She leaned closer and murmured, "I brought back some excellent merchandise this time; I’ll send it over to you later." The President smiled knowingly. "I appreciate that." Bai Lanxue immediately rose and took her leave.

She hummed inwardly: What President? What Marshal?

They could both go to hell. This space, sooner or later, would be her domain!

While Bai Lanxue had her own plans, Iliya was certainly not one to sit idly by. Iliya’s primary motivation for seducing Karu and becoming his fiancée was to leverage his influence within the Interstellar Federation to help her ascend as the Queen of Fia.

Her career had advanced by leaps and bounds during Bai Lanxue’s absence from the Federation, but now Bai Lanxue was back. If Bai Lanxue reclaimed the Secretary-General position, eighty percent of everything Iliya had accomplished would be nullified.

She had to find a way to remove Bai Lanxue. After leaving the Federal office, Iliya had no desire to go to Karu’s residence.

She happened to spot a pedestrian plaza and disembarked from the airship, walking into the square. She possessed a peculiar fetish: she adored androids.

In her eyes, robots were far easier to deal with than those filthy humans. However, since getting involved with Karu, she had been forced to suppress this inclination.

There was an open-air café ahead in the plaza, and handsome android waiters moved gracefully among the patrons. Suddenly, she felt an intense urge to rush over, snatch one of the androids, take him back to a hotel, and brutally—!

At that moment, someone bumped into her from behind. She spun around sharply, ready to curse, but paused, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

The person who bumped her was Reinar. Reinar had undergone a complete transformation upon returning to space.

He was no longer clad in beggar-like roughspun cloth but wore the most luxurious bespoke suit. The grime and filth were gone from his face, and his beard was neatly trimmed.

On his wrist shone a top-tier watch recognizable to any discerning eye—he was the epitome of a successful man. Reinar was well-featured everywhere, save for a slightly narrow forehead.

His eyes were particularly sharp, and he recognized Iliya instantly. However, he didn't expose himself, merely stepping aside with a gentlemanly gesture.

"My apologies, I bumped into you." Iliya turned back with a gracious, demure smile. "It's quite alright." Reinar inclined his head slightly.

"May I buy you a coffee? I wish to apologize to such a beautiful lady over a cup." Iliya smiled coyly.

"Not liquor?" Reinar smiled back. "Wouldn't that be a grave insult to a lady?" Iliya was feeling lonely, so she didn't refuse.

They walked over to the open-air café, found a table, and began to chat. Having experienced a previous setback, Reinar’s haughty edges had been smoothed away, leaving behind only a belly full of insidious schemes.

Faced with a beautiful woman, even if his desires were burning, he could maintain control, engaging in witty conversation as if he were interested only in intellect, not mere beauty. Iliya was utterly fed up with Karu, who was older than her father, lacked patience in intimacy, and lacked stamina in passion.

Despite countless times together, she had never reached climax. What annoyed her further was his perpetually lecherous expression, which soured her mood.

Meeting a dashing, sophisticated man like Reinar unexpectedly during an outing made Bai Lanxue smile with an unusual restraint. During their conversation, Reinar didn't forget to discuss his grand ambitions, mentioning how many followers he commanded, casting out his bait.

Iliya listened and laughed, finally piecing together Reinar’s identity from the details: the Interstellar Federation’s former Chief Designer (a position he held for only three days), a man whose hatred for Bai Lanxue was bone-deep. Iliya felt she had found the perfect ally.

Reinar was the finest chess piece available to use against Bai Lanxue! The two reached an immediate understanding.

They left the café and headed to a bar. In a private booth at the bar, they drank freely and vented their frustrations.

As the alcohol took hold, Iliya brazenly cast aside her restrictive work attire, displaying her allure to the fullest extent possible. Coincidentally, Reinar, having just returned to space, hadn't had a chance to release his pent-up desire and lunged immediately.

Their bodies pressed tightly together, challenging various demanding positions, again and again, until both were exhausted and satisfied, collapsing onto the sofa. Infidelity is one of the most effective ways to satisfy physical needs; physical contact is, without question, the best method to deepen an emotional bond.

Once their "exchange" was complete, they immediately claimed the other as their own. After regaining his strength, Reinar held Iliya and took her to a hotel.

To bring down Bai Lanxue, they first needed to cement their alliance. The next day, Reinar, dressed in ordinary business attire, went to see Bai Lanxue.

Bai Lanxue was anxious about finding capable people to use. Since Reinar had been one of her subordinates before, he was marginally acceptable, so she took him in while simultaneously dispatching agents to investigate whether he was the original or a clone.

She suspected Reinar was a clone. Otherwise, how could he have survived and returned when she was the one who seized the escape pod?

If he were a clone, it would be simple: kill him, extract the memories he shouldn't possess from the unactivated clone in the hospital, then activate it. He would then belong entirely to her.

As vicious as Bai Lanxue’s thoughts were, Reinar’s were even more malevolent. His goal was to kill Bai Lanxue, activate her unconscious clone, and turn her into a puppet for him to manipulate from the shadows.

First, seize everything Bai Lanxue possessed, then eliminate Karu and take his woman, overthrow the Federal President—at that point, he would become the supreme figure in space! -RS