I didn’t stay at the hotel for long. Very soon, I rented an apartment for the time being and settled in.

That day, while I was at home going through an investment report, I received an unexpected call from Leo’s assistant, Gavin Sinclair.

“Ms. Morgan,” Gavin said politely, “Mr. Smith has an urgent meeting, but the analysis report for the Westside project can’t be found. You were the one following up on that project before. Do you happen to know where the report is?”

The Westside project.

Of course I remembered it.

In my previous life, that project had been a major turning point in Leo’s career, but it had also hidden a massive pitfall.

Back then, I had pulled three all-nighters, going through countless materials before finally uncovering that hidden risk, which helped him avoid it perfectly and earn a huge profit.

It was also after this that his position in the company truly became secure.

Holding my phone, I fell silent for a few seconds.

“I don’t remember,” I said calmly. “I have nothing to do with Mr. Smith anymore. You don’t need to ask me about his company’s matters again.”

On the other end, Gavin seemed to choke on his words.

“But Ms. Morgan, this project is very important. Mr. Smith, he—”

“That’s his problem,” I cut him off directly. “I’m busy. Goodbye.”

After hanging up, I looked out the window, my mood completely undisturbed.

I was no longer that Nicole who would come whenever called and leave whenever dismissed.

Whatever happened to Leo had nothing to do with me anymore.

In the afternoon, I went out with a friend to shop and have afternoon tea, and I posted a selfie on my social media.

In the photo, I was smiling brightly, with delicate desserts and warm sunlight in the background.

Not long after, a mutual friend commented, [Oh? Back together with Mr. Smith? Not heartbroken anymore?]

Someone quickly replied below, [No way. Didn’t you see the news? Mr. Smith accompanied that beauty, Sophie Miller, to the hospital today. I heard she fainted from exhaustion. He looked incredibly anxious, even carried her into the ER himself.]

There was even a clear candid photo attached.

In it, Leo was holding a pale-faced Sophie in his arms, rushing into the hospital with a look of panic and concern I had never once seen on his face in all thirteen years.

I gave the photo a like, then closed my phone.

That night, when I returned to my apartment, a familiar car was parked downstairs.

Leo was leaning against the car door, smoking, with cigarette butts scattered all over the ground near his feet.

When he saw me, he stubbed out the cigarette and walked over in a few quick steps, carrying the heavy scent of smoke mixed with hospital disinfectant.

“Where did you hide the materials for the Westside project?” he asked bluntly, his tone unfriendly.

“I told you I don’t remember.”

“Nicole!” he barked, his eyes bloodshot, looking agitated. “Don’t play this game with me! You know how important that project is to me. Are you really going to use this kind of method to get back at me?”

I looked at him and found it almost amusing.

“Get back at you? Leo, aren’t you thinking too highly of yourself?”

“I just don’t want to deal with your mess anymore.”

His expression instantly turned extremely ugly.

“Is this because I went to the hospital with Sophie?”

As if convinced that was the reason, he continued explaining on his own. “Her health has always been bad. She’s been like that since she was young. She fainted at the company today, so of course I had to take her to the hospital!

“Nicole, can you stop being so unreasonable?!”

Unreasonable.

In my previous life, I had been “reasonable” for crying alone until dawn while he celebrated Sophie’s birthday.

As I signed my mother’s surgery consent form alone, he accompanied Sophie overseas to relax.

In the end, I guess I had been “reasonable” enough to die in that car accident.

I took a deep breath, then looked at him and said each word clearly.

“Leo, if her health is bad, that’s something her parents should worry about. If she faints, you should call an ambulance, not carry her there for show.

“And let me say this one last time. We’re over. From now on, your matters and hers have nothing to do with me.

“If you keep harassing me, I’ll call the police.”

After saying that, I turned and walked toward the building.

However, my wrist was grabbed again, even tighter than before.

“Nicole, do you really have to be like this?”

For the first time, his voice carried an emotion I couldn’t quite understand. It sounded like frustration, or perhaps something else.

“Isn’t what you want just for me to lower my head?”

“Fine.” He stared into my eyes as he spoke slowly, “Give me the materials, and I’ll apologize to you.

“I’m sorry for not coming after you, for being with Sophie.”

I looked at him.

This was the first time in thirteen years that I had heard the words “I’m sorry” from his mouth.

In the past, it was something I had longed for.

But now, it just made me sick.

“Your apology isn’t worth a thing.”

I shook off his hand and walked into the apartment building without looking back.

I didn’t go back home. Instead, I went straight to another property.

It was a small apartment I had bought with my own money, so neither Leo nor the Morgans knew about it.

I needed an absolutely quiet environment to plan my next steps.

The next day, I received a call from my father. His voice sounded both exhausted and furious.

“Nicole, what exactly did you do to Leo? Several of our ongoing partnerships fell through overnight! Every single one of them said Mr. Smith had intervened!

“Go beg him right now! Otherwise, our whole family will be left with nothing!”

I listened to his shouting on the other end, yet my heart remained completely unmoved.

Leo had used this trick in my previous life as well.

Every time I was “disobedient”, he would use my father’s company to pressure me.

And my father would always, without fail, shift all that pressure onto me.

“That’s your company, not mine,” I replied coldly. “Figure it out yourself.”

“You!” My father was so angry that he couldn’t speak. “I’m your father!”

“You only remember you’re my father when you need me to sacrifice for your company.”

After saying that, I hung up and blocked his number as well.

Not long after, a message came in from an unknown number.

“Nicole, don’t push me.”

It was Leo.

“Come meet me at the usual place. This is your last chance.”

The usual place was a high-end private club near his company. It was the same place where, in my previous life, I had lowered my head countless times, apologizing and begging for his forgiveness.

He thought that by using the same method, he could make me submit like before.

I looked at the message and smiled.

Then I replied with two words.

“I’m coming.”

At seven in the evening, I arrived at the private room of the club right on time.

Pushing the door open, I saw Leo sitting on the sofa, his posture arrogant. When I walked in, he didn’t even bother to lift his eyes.

Sophie was sitting beside him.

When she saw me, she immediately put on a worried and helpless expression, calling out softly, “Nicole…”

Only then did Leo raise his eyes to look coldly at me.

“Do you know what you did wrong now?”

I ignored him and walked straight over to sit across from him. Then I took a USB drive out of my bag and placed it on the table.

“This is what you wanted.”

Leo raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised that I would be so sensible.

He picked up the USB drive, a trace of a victor’s disdain flashing through his eyes.

“If you had done this earlier, none of this would have gotten so ugly.”

Sophie also spoke at the right moment, playing the role of the peacemaker. “Nicole, don’t argue with Leo anymore. He’s only doing this for the company. You two should make up.”

I watched the two of them play off each other, and it felt like I was watching a poorly acted play.

“Leo,” I said slowly, “the USB drive doesn’t just contain the Westside project materials. There’s also a gift for you.”

Leo frowned, clearly not understanding what I meant.

I smiled. “You’d better take a look now. Otherwise, I’m afraid by tomorrow morning, you’ll be on the front page of the financial news.”

My tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable certainty.

Leo stared at me for a few seconds, a hint of doubt flashing through his eyes.

In the end, he still picked up the USB drive and plugged it into the laptop beside him.

He first opened the folder for the Westside project and quickly skimmed through it. After confirming everything was in order, his expression eased slightly.

Then, he noticed another file.

The file name was: “A Gift for Mr. Smith”.

He hesitated for a moment, but still clicked on it.

Inside was an extremely detailed short-selling report, and the target was his company.

The report carried out a devastating analysis from multiple angles—financial loopholes in recent years, irregular operations, as well as the hidden risks in several core projects.

It even included a complete plan capable of crashing his company’s stock price within three days.

The level of professionalism and precision in this report far surpassed that of any top investment bank.

In my previous life, I had personally created it as a risk contingency plan to help him fend off external threats.

And in this world, no one understood the fatal weaknesses of his company better than I did.

Leo’s expression shifted from initial disdain to confusion, then shock, and finally to a bone-deep pallor.

Then, the hand holding the mouse began to tremble.