One thing that Leah had not predicted was Leon would bring Ella back to the Diakos Villa with him. Once upon a time, she had entered this villa as his fiancée. Now, she was nothing more than an outsider. Her status was even lower than a servant!

Leeon led her to the most remote maid’s quarters. "From now on, you are not allowed to leave this room. Meals will be delivered. If I find out you tried to escape, I will break your legs."

His words were filled with menace. Leah numbly took the bag from his hands and shut the door with a thud.

Outside, Leon loosened his tie, but the stifling frustration in his chest refused to dissipate. Just then, Ella sent him a photo of herself in lingerie and it instantly ignited a fire in his eyes.

Whatever frustration he felt because of Leah, someone else would relieve it for him.

Ella was three years older than him. When they first mistakenly ended up together, she had still been a virgin. However, ever since then, she had become incredibly skilled, she always left him feeling utterly spent.

Leon had to admit that only after he experienced intimacy did he realize how laughable his pure, innocent love with Leah had been.

Leah slept for a while and woke up at 2 a.m., her stomach empty. No one had brought her any food.

Leah slept for a while and woke up at two in the morning When she woke up, she was hungry but no one had brought her any food.

Following her memory, she headed toward the kitchen for some water, but suddenly, she heard an unmistakable sound of pleasure.

"Ah, Leon, slow down."

"I can’t."

It was Leon and Ella? They were actually doing it in the kitchen…

Leah covered her mouth. She was afraid of making any noise. As she stepped back, she bumped into a firm chest.

The man’s breath enveloped her and she stiffened like a startled rabbit and instantly pulled away.

Nico watched her calmly. "What? Aren't you going in to catch them in the act?"

Leah had just woken up so her eyes were misty and they carried a fragile softness. Nico’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

"I have nothing to do with them," she said stiffly before she left. 

The kitchen door wasn’t even locked and the sounds of debauchery continued without pause.

Just then, Nico grabbed her wrist. "Listen closely. It's quite entertaining, isn’t it?"

Leah glared at him. Was he insane? The head of the Diakos Financila Consortium actually had this kind of vulgar fetish.

Nico raised his brow and smirked slightly. He unlocked his phone and pulled up the surveillance footage then handed it to Leah.

I’ve been staying here for a while and for security reasons I installed cameras. You're welcome to keep a copy and use it as evidence."

The footage from the surveillance camera was downright obscene. Leah forced herself to stay calm. "They’re not done yet."

"Press that button and it’ll save in real-time."

Silently, Leah pressed the red button. When she watched the tangled bodies and scattered clothing on the screen, she felt nothing.

Nioc glanced at the footage. "They’re almost finished. Come with me."

He took her to a bedroom on the third floor. It was his room. It had a low-key, luxurious and meticulously refined room.

"What do you plan to do next?" he asked.

Leah stood hesitantly at the doorway. She did not dare to step inside. What she wanted to do and what she could do were two different things.

"Tell me, I can help you," said Niko.

"Why?" Leah asked. Her gaze was filled with confusion. Nico had already helped her once. Why would he help her again?

Nio spread his hands. "Think of it as my good deed for the day. If I don’t help you, you won’t be able to keep your kidney in fifteen days."

Leah fell silent.

"I’m not offering this for free. You need to agree to one condition," Nico said.

"What condition?"

A faintly helpless smile played at Lion’s lips. "My parents live abroad and are very concerned about my personal life. If you don’t mind, you could pose as my wife to reassure them."

Leah did not hesitate for a second before she refused. "I'm sorry, Mr. Diakos but I refused."

What kind of ridiculous request was this? She had once been Leon's fiancée. For her pretending to be Nico’s fiancée was already absurd enough, let alone playing the role of his wife.

Nico took slow, deliberate steps toward her. His imposing presence pressed down on her. When he finally stopped in front of her, she instinctively held her breath.

“Why not?” he asked.

Leah lowered her eyes to avoid looking directly into his eyes and she stammered as she explained, “You’re an outstanding man … You should have plenty of wealthy socialites eager to marry you. I don’t deserve it. I’ve been in prison .…”

Her voice grew weaker and she swallowed back the last part of her sentence she was she blurted out that she had also given birth to a child.

Nico’s voice was low and firm. It brushed against her ear like a tangible force. “What if I told you that I have evidence proving you were framed?”

Leah’s head snapped up. “Who was it? Who set me up?”

Nico did not answer immediately. Instead, he handed her a phone. “Tonight’s video has been synced to this device. Think it over and call me when you’ve made a decision. I’m going to rest now.”

As Leah made her way downstairs, she ran into Leon who was coming up the stairs. Their eyes met and he was the first to speak. “Where were you?”

Leah answered without hesitation. “I'm getting some water.”

“The third floor is my uncle’s space. Even if he doesn’t stay here often, you shouldn’t be wandering up there.”

“Oh, okay.”

Without another word, she brushed past him. She did not even spare him a second glance.

Leon felt the fire inside him blaze even hotter. “Stop right there!”

Leah paused and turned back. She noticed the marks on his neck. They were blatant evidence of his recent indulgence. He acted as if he was flaunting a trophy.

"What is it?" Leah asked indifferently.

“Three years ago … Did you also ‘accidentally’ enter the wrong room?”

Leah found his question ridiculous. Without much thought, she replied, “I don’t remember,” and walked away.

Leon gritted his teeth, his fingers tightened around the staircase railing as he watched her retreating figure.

She was nothing but a disgrace, so why did she still have the power to enrage him? Why did he keep subjecting himself to this frustration?

Frustrated, he stormed into his room, where Ella clung to him, demanding another round. However, no matter how rough he was, an image of Leah’s cold, detached expression kept flashing through his mind.

***

Meanwhile, Leah lay in bed while staring at the phone screen. The only number saved in the contacts belonged to Nico.

She had searched for the orphanage’s number and called to inquire about her child, only to learn that the child had already been adopted.

She had no power or influence. She couldn’t even bring her own child home.

Tossing and turning all night, she finally made a decision. At precisely seven o'clock in the morning, Leah dialed Leon’s number.

“Have you made up your mind?” he asked.

“Yes. However, I have three conditions.”

Leah had thought it through. If playing along with Nico’s act for a short time could buy her freedom for the rest of her life, she was willing to take the gamble.

“Alright, name them.”

"First, after sixteen days, I want to disappear without a trace from Starry City. Second, I want your help to find a kid named John. She was taken from Harmony Orphanage two years ago."

Leon’s fingers tightened around his phone. “A child? You have a child?”

Leah let out a bitter laugh. “I told you I don’t deserve this. If you can’t agree, just pretend I never said anything.”

“I agree.” His response was immediate. “However, these conditions are too easy. I think you should ask for one more thing.”

Leah bit her lip. She already felt like she was asking for too much, what was wrong with him?

“What?”

Nico who was flipping through Leah’s prison records, suddenly felt a surge of anger burning in his chest. His eyes darkened with a dangerous glint.

"They need to pay the price."

Leah had never dared to think about it before. All she wanted was to leave this place and start a new life with John.

However, when the opportunity dangled right in front of her, it was like the chocolate cake from her childhood. It tempted her to take just one step closer.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

Nico'ss presence was like a wolf lurking in the shadows. "I'll give you the opportunity, but I won’t act personally."

In that instant, Leah understood that since Leon's father was Nico's older brother, he wanted her to step into the light and become the knife he wielded from the dark.

What she didn’t understand was since Nico already held a lot of power, why did he have to go that far?

However, she quickly understood. She and her sister were blood relatives, yet they had turned into enemies. Family ties meant nothing in the face of betrayal.

Just as their agreement settled in her mind, a knock sounded at the door.

Thinking it was the housekeeper bringing her meal, she opened the door, only to find Leon standing outside.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Leon noticed how her once lively eyes instantly turned cold at the sight of him. His chest tightened with frustration. "Come with me to Ella's birthday banquet," he ordered.

A birthday banquet?

Leah suddenly laughed.

Her sunny smile caught Leon off guard. It made him take his eyes off her.

"Leon, my sister and I were born on the same day."

His heart clenched. He hadn’t forgotten. When they first Leah always seemed gloomy on her birthday.

Later, when they got together, he finally learned the reason. Her parents had never celebrated her birthday and she had never gotten a single gift from her relatives.

Back then, he had pulled her into his arms and promised, "From now on, I'll celebrate every birthday with you. If they don't cherish you, I will."

But now, he had become just like her parents. He was thinking only of Ella on this day.

"I'm not going," Leah rejected him outright.

"You have to!" Leon’s voice was firm.

Ella strutted over in high heels in an arrogant manner. "Leah, the media has been making a big deal about your release from prison. If you don't show up at my birthday banquet, what will people think of our family?"

What did that have to do with her? It was true that was her family, but she had never been one of them. 

Ella's sharp nails dug into Leon's arm before he finally said hesitantly, "Leah, don't make things difficult."

Leah suddenly let out a soft laugh. "You want me there so people can mock me? Leon, thanks to you, there’s not an inch of my body that isn’t scarred." 

With that, she shrugged off her coat, revealing only a thin camisole underneath. Her body was riddled with old scars and fresh wounds.

Leon's breath hitched. He had never paid attention before so he hadn’t realized how badly she had been hurt. She had always been afraid of pain. How much must she have suffered?

Ella quickly stepped between them, her voice sharp. "How shameless can you be? Are you taking off your clothes in front of my husband to seduce him?"

Leah chuckled bitterly. "Sister, have you forgotten? He was my fiancé first."

Back then, their father, Jeff had wanted Ella to marry Nico. However, when Leon, Leah's classmate, proposed, their father reluctantly agreed to their engagement. Yet, their relationship never even made it to the wedding when something happened.

The brutal truth hung between them, but Ella refused to acknowledge it. "You were never officially engaged. What kind of fiancé was he?"

"So, you admit you stole your sister’s boyfriend?"

A cold voice sliced through the air like a blade. Nico's gaze was so sharp that it seemed it could see one heart and there was a tint of coldness in them.

Ella hadn't expected Nico to be home and the suppressing force of his aura made her too frightened to speak.

Leon, on the other hand, was clearly flustered. "Uncle, why are you back? Weren’t you staying at a hotel?"