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?"

Nico's gaze locked onto Ella and his eyes were even colder than before. "What? Do I need to report to you when I return to my own home?"

Leon’s heart skipped a beat. Without another word, he grabbed Ella’s hand, preparing to leave. If Nico found out how he had been behaving at home, next month’s allowance would be gone for sure.

"Uncle, today is Ella's birthday. I’m taking Leah with me."

Nico’s sharp gaze swept over the bruises on Leah’s body. "Oh? So, where is this event being held? Once I’m done with work, I’ll stop by."

Leon felt a chill run down his spine. "I’ll send you the address."

The moment Leon and Ella left, Leah moved to shut the door, but a polished leather shoe wedged into the gap, stopping it from closing.

A long, slender hand followed, reaching through the doorway. The wristwatch alone was worth eight figures and the cufflinks were custom-made.

"Open the door." Nico's voice broke no argument.

Leah quickly pulled her coat tighter around herself and asked warily, "What do you want?"

Niko let out a low chuckle. "I'm peaking to my future wife, isn't that a normal thing to do?"

Leah’s grip on the doorknob tightened. "If you’re asking me to attend her birthday banquet, a message would have sufficed."

Nico’s expression darkened. "Come upstairs with me."

"What for?"

"To change clothes."

His tone wasn’t exactly gentle. The young woman before him was frail, yet she had grown sharp and defensive. Just how much suffering had she endured in prison to be left with so many scars? The sight of them unsettled him in a way he wasn’t used to.

He hated feeling out of control, so his expression turned colder as he spun around and strode away.

Leah hesitated only a moment before following him.

They reached the study, but just before stepping inside, Nico suddenly stopped. Leah wasn’t paying attention so she bumped straight into his back.

He turned slightly to look down at her. "Leah, direct all that defiance toward Leon. Prove to me that you’re worth my investment."

Leah met Nico's eyes without hesitation. She had known all along that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Nico was a businessman. He wouldn’t strike a deal unless it were profitable.

A slow smile curved on Leah's lips and there was a glint in her eyes. "Fine. Just don’t forget what you promised me, Mr. Diakos."

Dressed in the latest Belladonna-brand gown, Leah looked stunning. The silk lace gloves and fur stole concealed every trace of her injuries, leaving only an air of elegance.

Ella’s birthday banquet was an extravagant affair. It was attended by the elite of high society.

While the Diakos Family was at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy, the Remington Family was barely considered as the second tier.

The moment Leah stepped into the grand hall, murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Who’s that?"

"Who else? The Remington Family’s other daughter. The one who went to prison. Stay away from her."

"I heard she was originally Leon’s girlfriend, but her sister stole him."

"Honestly, what’s the point of marrying Leon? The Diakos Family belongs to Nico now. I’d try my luck with him."

"You don’t get it. Leon is still the eldest grandson of the Diakos Family. Whatever happens, everything Nico has built will eventually go back to him."

"That’s still not certain. What if Nico has a child of his own?"

***