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.'

A sour taste rose from her stomach. Leila lowered her head and swallowed the lump in her throat.

Indeed, Zachary patiently taught her to drive, and Leila learned quickly. Driving was one of the things she took pride in. It was a pity, though. Because she learned to drive, she accidentally killed someone.

If Zachary found out that she was the reason why his mother died, he would probably regret teaching her to drive.

"What are you dawdling for? Get in the car." Zachary said impatiently and tossed the car key to her. He closed his eyes and put his arm on his forehead as he leaned against the seat.

Leila stared at him for a moment before she got into the driver's seat. She squeezed the key and put it inside the keyhole, but her hands were trembling.

She was starting to become queasy. Fear emerged in her eyes, and her gaze blurred with haze. What happened five years ago was replaying in front of her as if it was happening right now.

The raging fire that frantically swallowed her seemed to burn her alive.

'Snap out of your senses! It's long gone. Come on. You can do it!' Even though she comforted herself, her fingers were cold and stiff like icicles.

She fiddled for a long time before finally inserting the key into the keyhole.

Leila sighed in relief, but her body went rigid when she saw Zachary staring at her.

'Damn! I thought he had fallen asleep!' She swore inside her head.

She averted her gaze and started the engine.

"Back then, you were confident in driving and drove smoothly. It never crossed my mind that you'll be afraid of driving now. Tell me, is there anything that doesn't frighten you?"

Leila bit her lips and refused to look at him. But she could feel his heated gaze on her face that almost bore a hole in her skin.

"What made you afraid of driving?" Zachary queried.

"I just don't want to," she muttered.

"Just don't want to? Or because it had something to do with what happened back then?" His eyebrows arched as he looked at Leila's side frame.

"Would you still teach me to drive if you knew something like that would happen?" Her eyelashes trembled as she fought the urge to cry.

'Do you regret it?' she asked inside her mind. Afraid that Zachary would say he did, she didn't dare to ask. If that happened, she didn't know how she would comfort herself.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Zachary's hoarse voice rang again.

Zachary flashed a small smile. "When did I say I regret teaching you? Even if I didn't teach you, you would have learned it when you were eighteen. Moreover, it's a good thing that I taught you because you'll still remember me."

When Leila heard this, her heart skipped a beat as a wave of warmth spread through her veins. She chewed her inside cheek and suppressed her emotions from emerging on the surface.

Zachary pulled out the cigarette case from his pocket, pulled a stick, and lit it.

Caught him red-handed, Leila shot him a look and wanted to stop him from smoking. After all, the man had a sick stomach at that moment. However, no words came out when she opened her mouth to say something.

Coincidentally, Zachary looked at her. Leila was stunned and immediately coughed to mask her embarrassment. Then she turned her head and looked straight ahead, concentrating on driving.

Zachary didn't puff a cigarette. A profound glint flitted into his eyes. He looked at the cigarette in his hand before throwing it out of the window.

After that, neither of them spoke again. Not long after, the two arrive at the Leighton Corporation.

Leila drove to the underground garage and parked the car. She saw Secretary Moore and Zachary's bodyguards were already waiting for them.

She pushed the door open and alighted from the vehicle. Secretary Moore approached her and greeted her with a smile.

"Miss Wright, President. Leighton has an important meeting, so we need to leave now. Later, I'll draft the contract and discuss the terms with you. Do you think it's okay to sign it tomorrow?"

Leila smiled and nodded. "Yes. But Zachary had just drunk a cup of black coffee. He's not feeling well, so I think it's best to send him to the hospital."

"Okay. I'll call the doctor over. Thank you, Miss Wright." Sunshine bowed and got inside the driver's seat.

"Alright."

Zachary glanced at Leila's neck, and his eyes gleamed with displeasure. He felt anger thrumming in his veins, so he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Leila took a couple of steps backward as the car made a U-turn. Sunshine raised her hand and waved at Leila before driving away.

Leila was left in the parking lot, staring at the receding car, and heaved a deep sigh.

She began walking and headed to the Imperial Medical Hospital. It was the hospital where her grandmother stayed when she fell ill until the day she died.

Back then, her grandmother bought it because she was impressed by the hospital's location and medical conditions. Before she died, she bequeathed the hospital to Leila, which wasn't one of the properties under the Wrights.

As luck would have it, no one in the family knew that the Imperial Medical Hospital belonged to Leila. Hence, she was pretty relieved to put her childhood friend there.

When she arrived at the hospital, she went straight to the top floor, where there was only one room—the VVIP ward.

Leila nodded to the bodyguards guarding the door. One of them respectfully opened the door, and Leila went inside.

Shortly after, the hospital's dean rushed to the ward and reported Allen's condition to Leila.

The doctor said Allen's state was not optimistic. His condition was gradually declining, and there was only a slight chance he would wake up.

Leila's fist clenched. She could feel everyone in the room looking at her with pity. She lowered her head and spoke softly, "All of you, get out."

The dean nodded, and they left and closed the door.

Leila sat on the chair next to the bed and stared at the handsome young man lying on the bed.

Allen had been sleeping in this hospital bed since he was twenty. It had been five years since then, and he was now twenty-five. He was in the prime of his life, but there he was, spending his time in the hospital.

Facing her childhood friend, Leila found herself talking about many things that had happened to her in the past five years. The sun had already set, yet her stories went on. She kept talking until her voice had become hoarse.

The moonlight shone on Allen's face, illuminating his delicate features. Leila stared at his face. Then her gaze crawled down to his bony fingers. On his right pinky finger, there was a tail ring.

She let out a long sigh, took off her necklace, and then put the ring next to Allen's finger.

The two fine diamonds in the rings shone brightly under the moonlight, which made her eyes hurt. She blinked and averted her eyes, staring at the window.

A strange wind gusted, and Leila seemed to hear Allen's gentle voice in her ears.

'Leila! Why are you wearing a man's ring?'

The young girl looked at Allen and smiled sweetly. 'This is my engagement ring. When I find someone I love, I'll propose to him with this ring.'

Then the young girl was surprised when she saw Allen also bought the same style of women's ring with all the money he earned from working for three years.

'Why did you buy that?'

'Of course, when a girl proposes to me one day, I can't let her go back empty-handed,' he responded with a dazzling smile.

Leila woke up from her trance and stared at the rings in front of her. She burst into laughter, but tears brimmed through her eyes.

"Allen, we have known each other for eighteen years, and I must say, you've been so good to me. Even though it's painful to think you'll be gone for good, if that happens, you'll be free from heartaches and pain. I'll pray for your soul, so you'll be reborn into a good family. In that lifetime, you'll never be hungry again. No one will ridicule you, and you'll never remember me. Someone like me isn't worth remembering."

After she said that, she wiped her tears and rose from the chair. She went out and gently closed the door.

It was already the dead of night, and only her footsteps echoed in the corridor. Leila headed to the elevator and pressed the ground floor. Shortly after, she stepped out of the elevator and wandered around the deserted street.

Unknowingly, she had reached the mall. She stopped in her tracks, raised her head, and looked at the LCD screen that was displaying today's news outside the mall.

Zachary was clad in a gray business suit, attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a hotel.

As far as Leila knew, the Leightons built that hotel. It was the first six-star hotel in Tesanera City.

Even though she could only see him on the screen, she could feel his imposing and austere aura. His devilishly handsome face was highly eye-catching. Coupled with his smile, Leila was certain most ladies in the city would fall in love with him. Despite that, Zachary's eyes gleamed with the astuteness that businessmen had.

Leila unknowingly watched the news until the end. After the ribbon-cutting, Zachary refused all interviews and brushed past the crowds as he got inside the luxury car.

Subsequently, the news came to a halt as Zachary left.

Leila's forehead scrunched up. She inexplicably felt that Zachary's complexion was pallid, as if he didn't have enough blood.

She abruptly raised her head and saw countless raindrops begin to fall. She walked toward a nearby waiting shed and stayed there as the rain became heavy. The wind blew briskly along with the raindrops, inadvertently hitting her.

At the same time, a black Maybach was parked not far away from her. A pair of green eyes watched as she wiped the raindrops that hit her forehead.

Sunshine followed Zachary's gaze and saw Leila. Her eyes darted back to her boss, and she sighed heavily. Seeing the man's pale complexion, she was reminded of what had happened earlier.

When she was about to call the doctor to have him check on her boss' stomach, Zachary vehemently refused, saying he was fine and the meeting was starting, and thus, she could only give up.

As a result, Zachary collapsed in the backseat as soon as he got into the car after the event.

Sunshine had always been calm and collected, but she was scared out of her wits at that moment. Panic-stricken, she sent him to the nearby hospital. The Leighton Medical Hospital.

She always thought her boss' stomach problem had been cured. It never crossed her mind he would have a relapse, and it was way more severe than before.

The doctor said Zachary needed to recuperate in the hospital for a week. But the moment he woke up, he insisted on leaving the hospital because he still needed to deal with some work he had left at the company.

Since Zachary was determined to leave, they could only obey him.

Never had Sunshine imagined that her uncompromising boss, who insisted on working despite his unwell body, would stop the car so he could stare at the woman in the waiting shed.

She didn't know whether to pity or praise him for admiring someone. She shook her head and sighed.

"Mr. Leighton, do you want me to give Miss Wright an umbrella? It might rain more heavily later."

As if he didn't hear her, Zachary didn't respond. Leila's figure when she left the hospital earlier filled his mind. Of course, he was keenly aware who she was visiting in that hospital. It was Allen, her childhood sweetheart—the orphan rescued by the Wright family.

The people who didn't know him mistook him for Leila's boyfriend.

In fact, he had met Allen before. That man had a gentle temperament, yet he looked straight at him in the eyes. People seldom looked at his eyes because of his background, but that man actually dared and even spoke to him with conviction.

'Mr. Leighton, Lei isn't the type of young lady who would agree to a marriage of convenience because she's looking forward to marrying the man she loves. Moreover, Lei and I have an excellent relationship. Look at this ring on my hand. This is what I'm going to propose to her. We've known each other for so long, and we're meant for each other. So please, Mr. Leighton, stop chasing after her. You don't deserve her.'

Zachary sighed and looked at Leila. "Secretary Moore, ask someone to bring her an umbrella."

Sunshine was stunned. She thought he wouldn't answer. She collected herself and immediately replied, "I understand."

She dialed a string of numbers and gave instructions. After that, the black Maybach moved again.

On the other hand, Leila was surprised when someone gave her an umbrella. Nevertheless, she was grateful and accepted it. Otherwise, she will get sick.

Subsequently, she headed home, but her pants still got soaked because of the heavy rain.

When she arrived at the Wright Villa, Uncle Morris hurriedly gave her a towel. Coincidentally, her stomach growled.

Uncle Morris shook his head and went to the kitchen. When he returned, he gave her a sandwich and a glass of milk.

"Thank you, Uncle Morris." Leila smiled softly.

In the past, Uncle Morris worked as her grandmother's confidant at the Wright Corporation. However, when her grandmother passed away, he stopped working there.

Her grandmother left him a sum of money, but instead of leaving, he stayed with the Wright family as a butler.

Uncle Morris sighed. Initially, he thought the young man from the Leighton family would save Leila from her suffering, but it never crossed his mind that Zachary would instead push her into a darker abyss.

His eyes grew red as tears welled up in his eyes. "Miss, please don't wait for Mr. Leighton or Young Master Allen. Don't hurt yourself."

Leila picked up the glass and gulped down the milk. "Well, Zachary or Allen, I want neither of them."