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."

The night overflowing with sentiment passed, and the most anticipated day came. Leila stood in front of the Wright Corporation, admiring the enormous building that became the landmark of Tesanera City. It witnessed the previous generations and how the Wright ancestors passed down the business to the succeeding heirs.

This would be the first time she'd step into the company after she returned to the Wright family.

Once, her grandmother told her the Wright Corporation had a hundred thousand employees. Then those employees and their families relied on the Wright Corporation to feed themselves. And every decision made by Wright's President would affect their lives.

Back then, she thought as long as she loved someone else, she would give up everything for him because it was the most dashing and selfless thing in the world. As she realized this, she wanted to laugh at herself for being stupid and willful.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated, pulling her out of her trance. Without looking at the caller ID, she accepted the call.

"Miss Wright, Mr. Allen's condition has improved and has stabilized."

The dean of the hospital's cheery voice sounded at the other end.

Upon hearing this, the gloom inside Leila's heart diminished, and a beam of happiness waved through her. A smile blossomed on her dainty lips. "Thank you so much for looking after him. If something crops up, please notify me as soon as possible."

The dean agreed, and Leila subsequently hung up the phone.

The massive boulder pressing on her heart alleviated from hearing the good news. She took a deep breath and finally entered the building with confidence.

Not far away from where she had stood, a car parked at the roadside. Inside the vehicle was Secretary Moore. She brought along her subordinates and was supposed to head to the Wright Corporation and meet Leila at ten o'clock in the morning. However, her phone rang when she was about to step out of the car.

"Don't come in yet. Go in after two hours have passed." The voice at the other end was relatively firm.

Sunshine was confused when she heard Zachary's words, but she still adhered. "Yes."

She looked at her subordinates and shook her head. They sat in the car and waited until they could leave.

While waiting, Sunshine couldn't sit still with the confusion hammering her mind, so she reviewed the contract repeatedly.

At the same time, in the conference room on the top floor of the Wright Corporation, Johannes Ramirez, the second largest shareholder, looked at Leila with impatience.

He tapped the table in annoyance. He then faced Macey Adams, the company's secretary.

"Secretary Adams, it's been an hour, yet they aren't here. Why don't you give Leighton's representative a call?" he said, expressing his discontentment.

"Okay." Secretary Adams nodded and went out.

In truth, she had already called Secretary Moore five times in a row, but the latter's line was busy.

She tried again, but the other line was still busy. Then she finally called Leighton Corporation, but the other party said Secretary Moore had already left the company and gone to the corporation.

Macey returned inside and reported the situation to Mr. Ramirez.

Leila finally spoke, "Wait a little longer. They'll be here."

Johannes looked at her and said nothing. He leaned against the chair and waited.

Time goes by.

He glanced at his wristwatch, and his jaw tightened. 'It was already noon, yet no one had come!'

Without a word, he stood up and walked out of the conference room. However, before he could leave, Leila blocked his path.

He frowned. "Miss Wright, what do you think you're doing?"

"Uncle Johannes, please give them a little more time," she hurriedly said.

"A little more time? I've given them two hours! Tell me, how many hours should I wait, huh?" He almost shouted, but he repressed his anger.

He was mild-tempered, but they had wasted his two hours for nothing. Despite that, he suppressed his anger because he didn't want Leila to lose face.

If this happened to other people, Johannes would bet they would have scolded Leila long ago.

Leila hung her head low and didn't respond. Although Zachary said he would help her, she wasn't sure if he would really do so. Hence, she could only bite her lip and keep silent.

"Leila, remember that theoretical knowledge differs from practical knowledge. Even though you have excellent grades, you should also have work experience." After saying this, Johannes brushed her aside and pushed the door out.

When the rest of the directors and shareholders saw Johannes leave, they all got up and walked out. However, when they brushed past Leila, they either gave her a stern or disappointed look.

Leila stared at them, leaving one after another, and sighed inwardly. Although she wanted to stop them, she wouldn't be able to stop them all, even if she had ten arms, since they were determined to leave.

However, shortly after they left, she heard a commotion in the corridor.

Leila looked at the person who had arrived and saw an elite woman dressed in corporate attire. She was blocking the board of directors who were about to leave. If it wasn't Sunshine Moore, who else could it be?

"Sorry, there's a traffic jam on the road, so we got here a little later than the agreed-upon time," Sunshine said with a smile.

The directors who wasted their two hours waiting for her fell silent. They couldn't find fault in her words, and they knew they shouldn't slap a person in the face when she was smiling at them. Moreover, she apologized to them.

However, Leila's thoughts differed from theirs. Her lips curled up into a sneer. She knew that Sunshine's late arrival was because of Zachary.

Secretary Moore nodded at Leila and went inside the conference room while the directors trailed after her.

As soon as she was seated, she opened her mouth to speak. "President Leighton wanted to come in person, but something cropped up in the European branch, and he needed to deal with it, so he sent me here instead."

Sunshine waved her hand, and her subordinates distributed the documents to the directors. "As for the contract signing, all directors can look at the documents first and ask if you have questions."

Johannes was the first to look through the documents. His forehead scrunched up, and he turned to look at Sunshine. "Why isn't there a capital injection yet?"

"President Leighton said that Miss Wright would decide about the investment amount."

Philip, who had been silent since earlier, interjected, "What about the upper limit?"

He swept his gaze at Leila and looked at her as if he was hinting at something.

Leila smiled lightly. "There is no upper limit."

As soon as her words fell on their ears, almost everyone in the room gasped in surprise.

They were still astonished, despite knowing Zachary was the wealthiest man in Tesanera. He was extremely good at financial investment. Besides, the Leighton Corporation had an immense influence on real estate. Hence, it wasn't surprising that Zachary's wealth was immeasurable.

Johannes was quite surprised as well. He had been staring at Leila for a few moments before he said, "Then can Miss Wright give us an amount?"

Leila straightened her body. Her mind swirled with countless numbers. She had a lot of experience on the American stock exchange, so she was unfazed by this sum of money. She then said tersely, "Ten billion."

"Only ten billion?" Sunshine exclaimed. Since there was no upper limit, Mr. Leighton asked her to prepare more funds. Thus, she was expecting that the amount wasn't just ten billion.

Leila nodded affirmatively.

"Alright. The money will be transferred today," Sunshine said with a smile.

"Ten billion isn't a small amount. Can Mr. Leighton fork it out today?" one of the directors couldn't help but ask.

For them, ten billion was almost the entire working capital of a corporation. Even though Leighton's wealth could rival the country's reserves, transferring ten billion by today should not be easy.

"President Leighton is a man of his word," Sunshine spoke sonorously.

Before anyone could react to her words, someone knocked on the door. Shortly after, Secretary Adams opened the door and walked in.

"Mr. Clark, the chief financial officer, said we have already received the ten billion."

'What? They transferred the money even before the contract was signed?'

Everyone had the same thoughts. They were all astounded and looked at Sunshine agape and in disbelief. Questions and opinions arose in their minds, but they could do nothing but bow before Zachary's overbearingness.

"Happy cooperation." Sunshine gave a small smile.

The directors became enthusiastic. Then they signed the contract. After that, Leila sent off the directors, along with her father.

As the door closed, only her, Sunshine, and Macey, who appeared to be her left and right-handed men, were left in the conference room.

Leila turned and faced Sunshine. "Secretary Moore, I've troubled you this time. When you return, please tell President Leighton I'll remember this favor."

She already knew the mishap earlier was intentionally done by Zachary. It was as if he was telling her that she would accomplish nothing without him. However, she knew he couldn't say it to her face.

He was an indomitable and unfathomable man. That was the real Zachary Leighton.

"Okay, Miss Wright. I'll tell him." The smile on Sunshine's lips froze. It took her a few seconds before she regained her bearings and tried to make her smile seem natural.

She always felt that Leila was no different from Mr. Leighton. They were both cold and indifferent. Leila always appeared unperturbed, without showing whether she was happy or sad. Sunshine thought that even if the sky were falling, Leila wouldn't be bothered.

Staring at Leila's placid expression, Sunshine suddenly remembered the first time she met Leila. It was a scorching summer, and at that time, Mr. Leighton fell ill, so he sent her to pick Leila up.

"Mr. Leighton, how can I find that lady?" Sunshine was worried she couldn't do her task because she didn't know who Miss Wright was.

She expected to hear something like a description, but Mr. Leighton simply said, "You'll see her in the crowd."

Sunshine felt helpless and could only smile wryly.

'What if I got it wrong?' That thought swirled in her mind as she went to the cafe. She sat inside the car and scanned the floor-to-ceiling window, and soon after, her gaze landed on the girl sitting in the corner.

After seeing her, she immediately understood what Mr. Leighton's words meant. Indeed, that girl stood out from the crowd.

The girl donned a short white lace dress. Her every movement exuded elegance while wearing a soft smile on her lips.

Her expression starkly contrasted with the fuming girl sitting across from her.

The latter stood up, pointed her finger angrily at Leila, and shouted shrill, paying no heed to the people looking their way.

Leila was unruffled. She smiled and said, "I did it on purpose."

Although Sunshine couldn't hear it, she understood what Leila had mouthed. Then she saw the girl opposite Leila, grabbing the cup of coffee and pouring the drink on Leila's face.

After that, the girl left in a huff, leaving Leila alone.

Sunshine saw Leila was in a mess and thought she would flee in embarrassment, but contrary to her expectations, Leila calmly pulled out the tissue and wiped the coffee stains off her face and dress.

She gasped in surprise. She waited for a while before she got out of the car and went inside the cafe, and then she walked over to Leila's table.

"Hello, Miss Wright. I'm Sunshine Moore, Mr. Leighton's secretary. Mr. Leighton asked me to pick you up—" Sunshine pretended she was surprised to see Leila's state. "What's wrong with you?"

Leila nodded. A weak smile tugged on Leila's lips. She raised her head and placed the wet tissue on the table. "Secretary Moore, can you please take me to the nearest hotel?"

"Okay." Sunshine acquiesced. She didn't have a good impression of this girl, but since it was Mr. Leighton's order, she had to do what she wanted.

As they agreed, they stopped at the hotel, and Leila changed her dress. After that, they headed to Zachary's villa.

When they arrived, before Leila entered the house, she faced Sunshine and spoke with a hint of warning in her tone. "Secretary Moore, I hope the matter earlier won't reach his ears since you also enjoyed watching the farce today."

Sunshine's body stiffened. Since she had been sitting in the car earlier, she thought Leila was oblivious that she was watching her.

She nodded, and Leila finally went inside.

After that incident, even though she didn't tell a soul, Mr. Leighton still found out about that matter. Then he asked her to investigate that girl's identity. It was Krissy Hamilton, the girl who deeply loved the young man named Allen and regarded Leila as her rival in love.

Sunshine had also looked into Allen's identity, and when she got the information, she handed it to Mr. Leighton. She didn't know what was inside the envelope, but the following day, when she passed another document to him, she saw countless cigarette butts on the ashtray. Apparently, Zachary smoked the entire night.

Later, she met Leila again. It was always when the latter was with Mr. Leighton. At that time, she didn't know that Leila was 'the Leila' from the Wright family.

Sunshine watched from the sidelines and observed Leila. Whenever she was around Mr. Leighton, she was always elegant and spoke less, unlike the girl Sunshine saw with her in the cafe, a provocative lady.

Moreover, Mr. Leighton, who was taciturn, became wordy whenever he was with her.

However, Sunshine felt Leila was somewhat indifferent to Mr. Leighton for some reason. Nevertheless, she could see she loved Mr. Leighton deeply, and the latter also felt the same.

Hence, she thought the two would be together for a long time.