The moonlight shone on the lonesome figure of a woman standing on the rooftop of the Leighton Corporation.

The wind gusted with the force of a fresh spring breeze, tousling Leila's soft blonde hair into disarray. Her hair seemed to be dancing in the air, scattering in all directions.

Leila blankly stared at the moon as she brushed the stray locks of her hair behind her ear.

Her body slightly stiffened when she heard footsteps behind her. Leila knew by heart who had come.

It was Zachary Leighton.

Leila's unruffled expression cracked for a fleeting second before it returned to tranquility. When she turned around and faced the man, her face was devoid of emotion.

Despite staying abroad for the past years, Leila still heard a lot about him, even if she wouldn't deliberately inquire. His name and reputation had reached other countries. It wasn't surprising, though, because his methods in business were quite ruthless.

Five years ago, Zachary ruthlessly overthrew his father, Gabriel Leighton, out of the company and replaced him in his position as president. Gabriel couldn't accept that and eventually had a stroke. He became paralyzed and was sent to California to recuperate.

In one fell swoop, Zachary rose to the position of the wealthiest man in Tesanera City by controlling the Leighton family single-handedly and doing several major projects simultaneously. This made him a legend in the business world. Despite his young age, he was already a business mogul.

In the same year, he got engaged to Talia, the illegitimate daughter of Philip Clark. And from what Leila heard on the TV news, Zachary deeply loved his fiance.

Leila took a deep breath and flashed a shallow yet graceful smile. "Mr. Leighton, I know you're busy, but please give me just five minutes. I promise I won't take too much of your time."

The man stared at her deeply as he whipped out a lighter and lit his cigarette. The flame in the lighter illuminated his devilishly handsome face.

With a cigarette between Zachary's thin lips, he drew in a small puff and blew the smoke back out. "Speak."

Leila didn't waste time and directly cut the chase. "Because of Wright Corporation's lack of liquidity, several significant projects had to be put on hold. Despite that, Wright Corporation is a longstanding company with a strong foundation. Though it wasn't well managed, I believe that Wright can recover its losses. So I'm hoping President Leighton will help and lend me ten billion to make a turnaround in a month. I will do my best not to disappoint you."

She spoke in one breath without breaking eye contact with him. However, even after a few minutes passed, Zachary didn't respond.

Leila waited for his reply and quietly sized him up. He was at least beyond six feet tall. He donned a black suit that perfectly accentuated his majestic figure. Even though he was only standing there, simply staring at her, he exuded an overbearing and imposing aura akin to an emperor who dominated an entire empire.

After a beat of silence, Zachary's low and magnetic voice sounded. "What's wrong with your voice?"

Leila didn't expect his sudden question and momentarily froze. She lightly coughed and said softly, "I have a cold."

A sarcastic smile flitted at the corners of his lips as he thought, 'Heh. It looks like a serious cold.'

Afraid that he would forget what she had said, Leila reminded him, "Mr. Leighton, what I said earlier-"

Halfway through her sentence, Zachary interrupted her, "Why should I help you?"

His words momentarily stumped Leila, and she dumbly looked at him.

His eyes swept her face as he drew another small breath and blew out the smoke. Then he added, "Tell me, why should I, Zachary Leighton, help you?"

Leila gasped and responded meekly, "If Leighton Corporation doesn't inject capital, the Petersons and Martins undoubtedly won't let this chance slip away and would certainly try to swallow up Wright Corporation. I can't turn to them and ask for help. They're too cunning and might even use this opportunity to compete with the Leightons. Besides, I prefer the Leighton family among the four major families."

"Give me a reason why you prefer the Leighton family," Zachary said lightly.

"Because you are always at the helm of Leighton's family," she promptly replied.

Zachary threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stared straight at her. He slightly tilted his head and said, "What if I say I'm not interested?"

His fathomless eyes seemed shrouded in dark clouds as he looked at her. It gave off an impression she would fall into an abyss. Nevertheless, she stared back at him with the same intensity because her grandmother's words rang inside her head.

Her grandma once told her if someone looked at her deeply, she should also do the same because only by then would no one look down on her.

Leila heaved a deep sigh. "Please tell me what your conditions are, Mr. Leighton."

"You," Zachary said succinctly.

Upon hearing him, the calm expression plastered on her face cracked. She was rooted to the ground as Zachary closed the distance between them.

He slightly bent down his body and gently whispered to her ears, "If I say I wanted you. Will you agree?"

A trace of confusion flashed past her eyes. She subconsciously took a step back and hurriedly wretched away her gaze from him.

"Isn't it enough that you've been hiding from me for the past five years?" A cold glint flitted into his eyes as he spoke.

Leila's eyelashes trembled, along with her voice. "S-stop joking, Zachary."

Zachary stared at her, and his lips curled into a mocking smile. He then snickered, "Tsk. You're still as indifferent as you were back then."

When his words fell, she gnawed on her lips and kept silent.

Seeing her expression, Zachary glanced at his wristwatch and said, "Miss, your five minutes are up. Please leave."

Hearing the coldness dripping in his every word, Leila clenched her hands tightly, digging her nails into her palm. Without a word, she strode towards the exit, but she stopped in her tracks when she remembered something.

She slightly turned her head and cast a glance at him. "Zachary, if I give you a life in exchange, will you help me?"

As she brought this matter up, what happened in the summer of ten years ago flashed into her mind.

Leila and her family got invited to the Leightons' annual company party. The child in her got bored listening to other people's chatter. So, she ran up to the rooftop to kill time. As the elevator door opened, Leila was surprised to see a young man standing close to the rooftop's edge and staring blankly at the boundless skies.

She frowned and thought he would commit suicide by jumping off the building. She walked over and said, "If you want to kill yourself, just jump. The 108th floor is high enough to kill you."

The young man looked at her and smiled, which didn't reach his eyes, and said flatly, "If I jumped off, no one would collect my body."

His forlorn smile was laden with a desperation that didn't match his young age.

Leila thought he was really pitiful. She sighed and made him a promise. "Don't worry. If you jump and die, I'll collect your body."

A trace of surprise flashed past his eyes as he quietly stared at her. Leila lifted her chin and stared back at him, unwilling to be outdone.

Moments passed, and the young man suddenly smiled. His smile was different from the one he showed earlier. It was gleaming with innocence, yet it had a tinge of slyness.

Leila was dazzled, and her heart began thumping wildly. She had never seen a person who could smile like that.

While she was in a daze, the young man, Zachary, lazily put his hands in his pockets and strode towards the exit. But before he left, he glanced at her and said, "Little girl, because those old foxes aren't dead yet. For now, I won't bother you with collecting my corpse."

Leila snapped out of her reverie. Looking at him now, the faces of Zachary from ten years ago and Zachary currently standing before her were overlapping. The only difference was that he was more unfathomable today than he was back then.

"I'll pay you back for that life, Zach," she said softly.

As soon as he heard her words, his deadpan expression drastically changed. His thin lips pressed tightly, and his eyes were covered with heavy frost, leaving only the bottomless gloom.

He gritted his teeth and snarled, "Pay? How will you pay for it?"

Leila said nothing and smiled. She promptly walked past him. She propped herself up on the concrete railing and stood on the edge.

Zachary's body instantly turned frigid when her actions fleeted in his eyes like a flash.

"After I jump down, please save Wright Corporation. I can't let our company get destroyed in my hands. So please, save it. This life is what I owe you. And I should have given it back five years ago." Her last sentence was almost inaudible, fading in the wind.

Despite her pallid complexion, she smiled brightly. However, when Zachary saw her smile, it inexplicably irked him.

The words she said ten years ago subconsciously rolled out of his tongue. "Don't worry. If you jump and die, I'll collect your body."

Hearing this, Leila smiled. "Okay."

Subsequently, she jumped.

"Leila!" Zachary felt his heart stop. He couldn't think about anything else apart from saving her. He dashed to her and hurriedly grabbed her wrist before she fell.

Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead as he supported all her weight. He pulled her and threw her small figure on the ground without mercy.

Zachary grabbed her collar with red eyes that almost seemed to drip blood. Veins protruded from his forehead as though it was about to burst. His mood had turned dark and dreadful in the blink of an eye.

He was so agitated that his molars almost broke as he gnashed his teeth. "Do you hate me so much that you would rather die than agree to my request?!"

Leila felt a tinge of pain in her heart, but she didn't let her expression betray her true feelings. She looked at him stubbornly but didn't say anything.

Zachary took a deep breath and suppressed the rage coursing through him. He let go of her and stood up, then strode away with a dark expression.

He stopped for a moment and said, "Alright. Since you went as far as doing this, I will help you this time. But I'll wait for the moment when you cry and beg for my help!"

After saying this, he faced the woman who had been silent all this time. "Secretary Moore, send her home. If you can't do that, you don't have to come back."

Sunshine nodded respectfully. "Yes."

Zachary left in a huff while Sunshine strode towards Leila.

A tear escaped from Leila's eyes as she inhaled sharply. Her face was eerily calm, but her insides were grinding in turmoil. She lay on the ground, unmoving.

"Miss Wright, I'll take you home," Sunshine said.

However, Leila didn't move an inch. Her body seemed to have lost all its strength. Even though she did that on purpose, it still frightened her. She gambled today because she knew Zachary would save her. But a small part of her hoped he wouldn't save her.

Slowly, Leila sat up. She lifted her head and stared at Sunshine. "Secretary Moore, even though I haven't seen you in five years, you're still beautiful as ever."

Sunshine crouched down and helped her but didn't respond to Leila's remark. They went to the elevator, and after a while, they reached the ground floor.

Leila's legs were still wobbly, so Sunshine supported her arm and helped her into the car.

After getting inside, the low-key yet luxurious Maybach drove away and headed to the Wright family villa.

Leila absentmindedly looked out the window and didn't notice tears welling up in her eyes, clouding her vision.

"Miss Wright, we're here," Sunshine spoke and looked at her worriedly.

Leila nodded and alighted from the car. When she arrived at the front door, she took a deep breath and tried to push the sense of apprehension coursing through her body.

Five years ago, Leila's family banished her, and she honestly didn't want to return. However, Sunshine would definitely lose her job if she didn't go in.

After all, Zachary was a man of his word.

Leila took a deep breath and finally rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the door opened, and a familiar face greeted her. It was Uncle Morris.

When the latter saw Leila, a smile blossomed on his lips. He beckoned her to come inside, and Leila nodded.

As soon as she set foot inside, a pin-drop silence engulfed the entire living room.

Philip, who was happily chatting with his daughter, lost his smile. His eyes went wide as he stared at Leila in astonishment.

The shock Talia felt at this moment was no less than her father's. The apple from her hand fell, and it rolled to Leila.

"You! Why did you come back?" Philip snapped out of his trance and pointed at Leila with a hint of anger. Just two hours ago, his subordinate reported Leila was still in New York, reading magazines!

'How could she appear here now?!' he screamed inside his heart.

Leila forced herself to calm down. "As your filial daughter, it's only right for me to come back when our company becomes like this, isn't it?"

She heaved a deep sigh and continued, "Father, you really disappoint me. When you forced me to transfer my shares to you, I thought you would at least see my mother's face and run the company well. Now I finally understand how foolish I was. You're a greedy wolf in sheep's clothing!"

Her eyes, sharp as knives, almost bore through a hole in Philip's body.

"Leila! How could you say that to Dad? You don't know how distressed he is because of the problem at the company. He couldn't even eat and sleep, so how could you accuse him like that?!" Talia interjected.

Leila calmly swept her gaze at Talia.

Talia was her half-sister, who had been living a pampered life because she was the 'Princess' of the Wright Family. At age twelve, she began attending social gatherings for upper-class people and even became one of the top socialites that everyone envied—including her.

Her lips curled up into a sneer as she asked, "Then how are you doing?"

A vicious glint flitted into Talia's eyes, hearing her offhanded remark. She pinched her thigh, and instantly, tears brimmed through her eyes. "Lei, are you still blaming me for taking your place? Please don't blame dad. It's not his fault. I-"

Leila smiled at her coldly and spoke sardonically, "No. How could I blame you? It's my mother's fault for loving someone like him. She was too weak to fight against your cunning mother, who became my father's mistress. I was only nine when she died, so I couldn't do anything when you occupied my home, coveted my property, and even banished me from the family. We end up like this because we deserve it! We couldn't fight-"

A crisp slap landed on her cheeks before she could finish her sentence. Leila's face immediately turned sideways because of the impact. Her cheek turned red, and it began swell because of Philip's force. He struck so hard that she felt her face burning.

"Shut up for me!" Philip roared.

Leila swallowed the metallic taste down her throat and wiped the blood on the corner of her mouth without showing any expression. "This is all your retribution!"

Philip felt a little guilty when he saw a bright palm print on Leila's face. However, when he heard her words, his guilt immediately vanished into thin air.

"I don't care if you look down on me inside your heart. Only Shiela and Talia are my family! Even if you're my daughter, you shouldn't forget your surname is Wright and not Clark!" he seethed.

Leila's breath hitched. Deep inside, she was still hoping that her father would also look at her the way he looked at Talia. But his words were like knives, cutting her heart into pieces. Her fist coiled into a ball, her nails digging deeply into her flesh.

"Dad, don't be angry. Your health is important. Lei, don't fight with Dad, okay? I'll call Zach later and ask him to help us," Talia said softly, but her eyes gleamed with smugness when she mentioned Zachary's name.

Philip abruptly looked at Talia and asked dubiously, "Is he willing to help us?"

He was doubtful. After all, Zachary Leighton was cold-hearted and infamous for being ruthless in business. He didn't even spare his father, let alone them, Leighton's biggest competitor. How was it possible he would help them?

A bashful smile blossomed on Talia's lips. "Of course, Zach is very kind."

Hearing her words, Leila inwardly scoffed.

"It's good if Zachary is willing to help so Wright's family will be saved," Philip said and sighed.

When his eyes darted at Leila, his face turned dark with impatience. "I gave your previous room to Talia, so just stay in the guest room for now."

Leila's jaw tightened. This was her own house, yet she had to live in a guest room. It seemed that she no longer belonged to this family in their hearts.

She silently went upstairs. As soon as she got inside the guest room, she tiredly flopped on the bed and unknowingly fell asleep.

The following day, blinding sunlight peeked through the gaps in the curtain, shining over Leila's sleeping face.

Her brows furrowed, and soon after, she woke up. She sat up and sighed. Even now, her cheek still stings.

She rose from the bed and went downstairs. While descending the stairs, Leila stopped in her tracks when she heard the vague conversation and hearty laughter.

'What were they so happy about?'

When she reached the last step of the stairs, a familiar tall and majestic figure sitting on the sofa entered the line of her sight.

'Zachary? Why was he here?' she wondered.

Leila was rooted to the stairs. Her gaze shifted to her father, who had a fawning smile plastered on his face.

"Mr. Leighton, we're delighted to have you grace us with your presence!" Philip said in exhilaration.

Even though Talia promised him yesterday, he was doubtful whether Zachary would come. But now, the renowned business mogul was in front of him. Philip was convinced Talia held great importance inside Zachary's heart.

"Talia called me last night and asked if I could help. With such a big incident in Wright Corporation, and on account of being familiar with each other, I'll help you," Zachary said lightly. He leaned languidly against the sofa and rested his arms on the ridge.

His gaze darted to the staircase, and immediately, a faint smile tugged on the corner of his lips.

The smile on Philip's face grew wider upon hearing his words. When he was about to say something, Zachary suddenly spoke.

"Who is this?" He stared at Leila and scanned her entire face. The faint smile on his lips vanished when he saw her red and swollen cheek. A cold glint flashed past his eyes.

On the other hand, Leila took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't escape since he had already seen her. Thus, she simply walked over.

Following Zachary's gaze, Philip caught sight of Leila's figure traipsing toward them. The broad grin on his face instantly faded. He let out a long sigh and fixed his expression.

"This is my youngest daughter, Leila Wright. Lei, come over and say hello to Mr. Leighton," Philip said with little difficulty.

"Miss Wright, nice to meet you." Zachary smiled and stood up. Then he gently extended his hand to her.

Leila didn't move an inch and simply stared at Zachary's outstretched hand.

Philip, who was watching her, was already in a bad mood because of her presence. Now that she had done that, he felt he had lost a great deal of face. He looked at her sharply, and only then did Leila accept Zachary's hand.

"Mr. Leighton, it's a pleasure to meet you," Leila said softly.

Zachary's palm was big and warm, fully enveloping Leila's. The latter grew conscious when Zachary slightly squeezed her palm, which made her hurriedly withdraw her hand.

As if he didn't notice it, Zachary sat down again.

"I'll ask someone to call Talia," Philip quickly interjected.

"No need," Zachary said firmly.

Philip was embarrassed by his remark and could only smile awkwardly. He couldn't say anything else and just sat there.

Leila wasn't any better. She just stood there, neither sitting nor leaving, because no one asked her to.

"Sir, Young Lady, Mr. Leighton, breakfast is ready."

Leila whipped around and looked at Uncle Morris in relief. She headed to the dining hall but still heard her father inviting Zachary to have breakfast together.

When they reached the dining hall, the food was already served. Leila sat at the end of the long table. Her eyes scanned the entire table, but there wasn't any black coffee.

Leila's solid breakfast menu was a cup of unsweetened black coffee and a slice of bread.

Of course, she knew they wouldn't care even if she told them. She lowered her head and kept silent.

Obliquely ahead, Zachary swiftly glanced at her and caught sight of her expression. He turned to look at Philip and asked, "Why is there no black coffee?"

Philip's expression stiffened, and he hurriedly responded, "Talia said Mr. Leighton doesn't seem to have a good stomach, so I purposely didn't tell the maid to prepare it."

"It doesn't matter. I want black coffee," Zachary said indifferently.

For a moment, Philip studied Zachary's expression. The latter's eyes were colder than usual. He must have lived in vain if he couldn't see that Zachary was dissatisfied with his arrangements. Philip could discern what he wanted. With this in mind, he hurriedly ordered a maid to grind the coffee.

Shortly after, the maid brought the black coffee and poured a cup for Zachary.

Zachary beckoned the maid to pour a cup of coffee for Leila as well.

The maid nodded and poured a cup for Leila, then retreated afterward.

Seeing this, he was satisfied. He picked up the cup and gracefully took a sip.

Meanwhile, two pairs of eyes were watching his every move with puzzlement.

Philip was confused when he noticed Zachary didn't touch the cup of black coffee a second time. Nevertheless, he said nothing and continued to eat.

On the other hand, Leila downed the cup of coffee swiftly and ate a slice of bread before standing up. "I'm done."

After she said that, she went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror and suddenly turned her head when she heard footsteps behind her.

Leila thought it was Talia. She didn't want to see the latter, so she walked toward the door and was about to leave. However, she had just taken a few steps when her head bumped into something hard.

And by seeing the leather shoes, she knew it was Zachary. Leila raised her head and looked at him. But in doing so, she closely met Zachary's gaze.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and asked her in a deep voice, "What's wrong with your face?"

"Let go," she said coldly but felt inexplicably guilty inwardly.

'What if someone came inside and saw us? How could I explain why we were together? After all, they didn't know that Zachary and I knew each other.'

As if he didn't hear her, Zachary cupped her face and brushed away the stray locks on her face. His face was then shrouded with gloom as he saw the bright palm print on her cheek.

He caressed her cheek tenderly but asked sharply, "Who slapped you?"

Leila averted her eyes and whispered, "Don't pretend to care about me."

She was really embarrassed to be seen in this state by him.

"You're this tough with me, why did you let someone slap you?" Zachary frowned as his hand on her waist tightened.

Leila glared at him and snapped. "Let go of me."

Zachary just smirked and paid no heed to her words. "Just answer me."

Leila's expression distorted, seeing his grin. She pushed him away, but his body was like a wall that couldn't be moved.

She took a deep breath and raised her eyebrows at him. "Don't poke your nose into someone else's business," she said and grabbed his hand off her face and bit his wrist. She thought he would let her go, but he didn't, so she bit him harder until blood oozed out of his wrist.

As fresh blood filled her mouth, Leila hastily let go of his wrist and looked at him, perplexed. Guilt waved through her as she stared at his injured wrist.

Instead of being angry, Zachary lightly smiled as he raised his injured hand and gently stroked her cheek. "Little girl, I rushed here so I could help your company, yet you treat me like this? You didn't even smile at me. You're quite cruel, aren't you?"

Her ears seemed to buzz when she heard his words. Her initial guilt faded and was replaced by annoyance.

'How could he say I'm cruel? It was him! He rushed here because Talia called him! But when I asked him for help, I had to bring up our promise ten years ago!' she screamed inside her heart.

"President Leighton mistook me for my sister. Isn't she the one who called you? So why don't you ask her to smile at you? But she's still asleep in my bedroom, so maybe you could wait for her!" she huffed angrily.

Zachary didn't mind her disgruntled face and said indifferently, "Why didn't you throw her out when she forcefully occupied your room?"

Leila clicked her tongue. "Of course, I'll eventually do it."

A low and magnetic laugh escaped from his lips. He looked at Leila in amusement and caressed her cheek again. But this time, he forgot it was swollen and rubbed it with a bit of force.

He felt displeased upon thinking someone had laid a finger on her and couldn't stop himself from saying, "Don't worry. I won't let you suffer in vain after being hit like this."

Leila hissed in pain. She subconsciously hit his hand and took a step back.

"Sorry. Does it hurt?" Zachary retracted his hand and pulled her closer.

'Why was he asking for the obvious?' She mentally rolled her eyes and sniggered.

Zachary's eyes darkened. He suddenly lowered his head and pressed his warm lips on her cheek.

Leila froze and couldn't react for a moment. Then she felt his sultry tongue licking her cheek.

"You!" This was the only word she could say as blood rushed to her head, and she fell into a daze.

When she snapped out of her trance, Zachary was long gone. Her face flushed red when she felt there seemed to be some residual heat on her skin.

Leila hurriedly went to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She took a deep breath to calm herself before leaving the bathroom.

When she went to the living room, she saw Philip and Zachary discussing something. She walked over and sat on the sofa.

Zachary seemed to be listening carefully to his father's words with a light smile on his lips.

"Mr. Leighton, when do you think it is better to sign the investment contract?" Philip asked. His eyes had a hint of impatience. He wanted to sign the contract immediately, so Wright's wouldn't go bankrupt.

"What do you think?" Zachary threw a question back at him. Albeit he was clearly speaking to Philip, his eyes seemed to be asking Leila.

"I'll personally oversee the payment first thing tomorrow morning," Philip hastily said. His face gleamed with excitement as he spoke.

"I'm afraid the senior management of Leighton's family won't agree if President Clark is overseeing this investment," Zachary said lightly, which immediately popped Philip's bubble of happiness.

Philip was quite dissatisfied, but upon reflection, it was up to the Leightons whether to invest in them. He swallowed his discontentment and smiled. "Then do you want Talia to be in charge? After all, she's the Vice President of Wright Corporation."

Zachary didn't respond right away. He swept his gaze at Leila, seemingly waiting for her response.

"I'll go." Leila butted in.

A faint smile tugged on the corner of his lips. 'Sure enough, this little girl definitely wouldn't let go of this opportunity.'

"What are you saying? You know nothing about the company's matters!" Phillip immediately objected.

Hearing her father's tone as if implying she was useless, a tinge of pain flitted into her heart. However, she won't back down.

"How can you say I can't handle it? I don't even try!" Leila insisted.

"Try? It is not child's play to deal with such a huge sum of money. What do you know about the Wright family's business? Plus, you don't have any work experience! You've been studying for many years, yet you accomplished nothing!" Philip huffed angrily and paused for a moment.

"If your mother were still alive, she would have been disappointed to have an ignorant daughter like you!"

Leila's heart sank. She sucked in a deep breath but said nothing. A sense of self-deprecation coursed through her insides. Initially, she thought she had returned like a triumphant general, only to find that she had lost her battle armor and helmet.

On the other hand, Zachary scowled at Philip's words. A biting cold glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at the latter with displeasure. "Mr. Clark's words are a bit too much. Actually, I admire Miss Wright's courage."

Then he shot Leila a look. "Can you do it?"

"Yes," Leila immediately responded. Then she flashed a confident smile.

Zachary leaned comfortably on the sofa and stared at Leila with satisfaction glistening in his eyes. The latter didn't say she would try her best, and Zachary understood her character well. In Leila's vocabulary, there was no 'try your best' because it only meant one thing—a lack of ability to achieve something.

"Then try it. Ten billion is a measly sum of money for me, so take it easy. And tell me, if you run out of money, I'll reinvest," he said casually, as though they weren't discussing a tremendous amount of money.

When Philip heard him, his face turned ashen. Zachary's words were like a slap on his face. He looked at his daughter hatefully and wished he could make her disappear at that moment.

A pin-drop silence hovered above them.

The sunlight peeked through the floor-to-ceiling windows and shone on Leila's body.

A dazzling light glimmered on her slender neck when Leila leaned her body sideways.

Zachary's eyes narrowed into slits. He caught sight of a familiar male ring on her necklace.

His jaw suddenly tightened when he remembered something from the past. He suppressed his anger and stood up. "I have something else to do. So I won't stay any longer. Secretary Moore will contact your company later about the contract."

With that, he strode out of the house.

As soon as Zachary left, Philip scoffed and glowered at Leila before he went upstairs with a livid expression.

Leila collapsed weakly on the sofa. She put her hand on her forehead and stared blankly at the ceiling. Fortunately, everything went well. Now, she would have the opportunity to take back the things that belonged to her.

"Miss, it seems Mr. Leighton left his key."

Leila immediately sat up and looked at the maid in front of her. In the latter's hand, there was a car key. It was indeed Zachary's.

His cold expression before he left flashed into her mind. She rose from the sofa and hurriedly took the key from her.

"Thanks." After she said that, she ran out.

She thought his car was parked at the front door, but when she went out, there was nothing. Leila heaved a deep sigh and rushed to the gate.

Wright was a century-old family with deep roots and was one of the four prominent families in Tesanera City. The Wright Villa alone covers a hundred acres of land.

It took Leila about five minutes to run to the gate. When she finally reached the gate, she was already out of breath.

She panted heavily and patted her chest to relieve the tension inside her. Shortly after, she looked around and finally saw Zachary. He was leaning against a massive tree while smoking.

It seemed that he noticed her and immediately looked at her.

Leila couldn't help but draw another breath before she walked toward him.

Zachary's expression was calm as he puffed the cigarette and blew out the smoke. He stared at Leila as she approached him. The latter was like an angel, bathing in the warm sunlight.

"You left your car keys," Leila said and handed him the keys. She was still gasping for air as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

Zachary threw the cigarette butt and stomped on it, then took the key from her, brushing his icy fingers on her.

Instead of leaving right away, Leila composed herself, looked him in the eyes, and said with extreme sincerity, "Zachary, thank you."

'Thank you for giving me the opportunity to snatch back my mother's company,' she whispered inside her mind.

"Don't mention it. I have a reason why I did that." He patted his clothes and walked to the driver's seat. He opened the door and glanced at her.

"You can go now," Zachary said tersely. As he was about to get inside, he suddenly clutched his stomach. His hand clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"What's wrong with you, Zach?" Leila promptly asked when she saw he seemed to be in great pain. Then something flashed into her mind. It was the cup of black coffee he had drunk earlier.

Without a second thought, she sidled forward and grabbed his arm with a hint of anxiousness.

Zachary cast a deep look at her, and his gaze inadvertently landed on her neck. His eyes turned colder enough to freeze her. "Let go."

Leila seemed oblivious to his current mood and reasoned, "But you have a stomachache."

She should have known he would feel uncomfortable since he drank coffee. Back then, she heard Secretary Moore say Zachary was so workaholic despite his young age that he didn't eat on time and eventually damaged his stomach. It became worse, which made his stomach bleed thrice.

"Sorry, it's my fault. The concentration of black coffee is too high. You shouldn't drink it in the future, alright?" She sighed and blamed herself as she saw Zachary's face grow paler.

As if she remembered something, she asked, "By the way, where's Secretary Moore?"

"She's at the company." Zachary's face crumpled. He was inexplicably upset to hear her tone. It was as if he was just a stranger to her.

"Then where's your driver? Come on, call him. You have to go to the hospital," Leila said and looked at him.

Albeit he was displeased with her words, he still replied, "The driver went home for his honeymoon with his wife."

A deep scowl appeared on his face. 'How difficult is it to ask her to take me to the hospital?'

"Alright. I'll give Secretary Moore a call." Leila dug into her pocket to fish out her phone but got nothing. It was empty.

She bit her lips in annoyance and looked at him. "Where's your phone?"

Zachary ignored her and leaned against the car.

Seeing he was uncooperative, Leila gritted her teeth, mustered up her courage, and began looking for his phone in his pockets. There was nothing in his right pocket. She sighed and checked the left side. Her fingers immediately stiffened when she felt something hard.

Leila hurriedly retracted her hand as if a lightning strike had hit her. Blood rushed to her head, dying her cheeks and ears red.

Zachary had an urge to laugh after seeing her reaction. But he suppressed his impulse. He lightly coughed and said, "That's a cigarette case."

Despite her embarrassment, Leila reached out to his coat's inner pocket and felt relieved when she found the phone inside. She hurriedly turned it on, but the screen was just black.

'Damn it! His phone was out of battery!' She cursed inside her head. Her hand squeezed the phone in frustration.

"You drive," Zachary said perfunctorily.

"I..." Leila was surprised and momentarily forgot to respond. A sense of apprehension rose inside her when she glanced at the steering wheel.

In fact, since that night five years ago, she hadn't dared to touch any car.

Zachary went to the passenger seat and said, "Don't say that you can't drive because I taught you before, as far as I remember. There's no way you won't know it."

A bitter smile tugged on Leila's lips. 'That's right. I almost forgot we had sweet memories together.'