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.

After Leila sent off Sunshine, she discussed the details of tomorrow's press conference with Macey. After they had come to terms, she hurriedly went to the Imperial Medical Hospital to visit Allen.

When she reached Allen's ward, she was stunned to see Krissy inside the room. It seemed the latter felt her gaze as she turned and faced her.

"Oh, hello. Come here," Krissy greeted her and smiled brightly.

Krissy had been visiting Allen in the hospital for the past five years. The two hadn't met because Leila had stayed abroad for those years.

Leila walked over and stood next to Krissy. When the latter visited Allen last time, the nurse told her about his condition. She raised her head and looked at Leila and beamed. "It's a miracle, isn't it? A few days ago, when I visited, the nurse told me his condition had deteriorated. But today, there are signs of recovery."

"Soon, he'll wake up," Leila replied. Her eyes gleamed with undisguised happiness as she looked at the unconscious young man.

Krissy hummed in agreement and grumbled, "I haven't seen you in five years, yet you haven't changed at all."

Then she handed Leila a cup of tea she had brewed.

"Well, you too," Leila stated as she took the teacup.

Krissy harrumphed and flipped her wavy hair. Of course, she knew what Leila's words meant. It was about her dedication and love for Allen that didn't fade in those five years.

She eyed Leila and sized her up. "If he wakes up, can you let him go?"

Leila's eyelids trembled, but she didn't speak.

Upon seeing this, Krissy blustered, "Leila, you're so selfish!"

She sneered and added, "Indeed, you haven't changed. You're still selfish. But I won't sit idly and watch Allen get hurt because of you!"

"Okay. Let's see." Leila was unperturbed, despite seeing the fire flickering in Krissy's gaze.

The improvement in Allen's condition and the successful contract signing uplifted her mood. Thus, she stayed in the hospital and chatted with Krissy for a while. And when she was about to leave, Krissy sent her off to the door.

Krissy finally calmed down. Her face didn't have a tinge of anger she showed earlier. "Since you have already returned, visit my grandpa. He keeps talking about you, so he'll be glad if he sees you."

"I will." Leila smiled softly before leaving.

Krissy closed the door while Leila went home. As soon as she arrived, she dragged her heavy body to her bed and unknowingly fell asleep.

The next day, she woke up early and prepared for the press conference.

The Leighton and Wright families' strong collaboration was a notable event within and beyond the business industry. Even Tesanera City's officials gave it great importance and personally phoned her father, stating they were pleased to see the two leading enterprises collaborating.

When she arrived at the company, everything was ready. The press conference started precisely at ten o'clock. Aside from Zachary, who wasn't present, all the board of directors showed up.

Leila wasn't used to wearing corporate attire, but as a newly promoted executive and the person in charge of the project, she donned a khaki suit and tied her hair in a bun. She quickly rose to that position, attracting a lot of attention. Hence, she needed to dress up.

The press conference had gone smoothly. However, the temperature inside the conference room became low as one of the reporters aggressively threw a question at Leila.

"Excuse me, Miss Wright, are you going to join Wright Corporation when you have just returned to America?"

Leila stiffened for a fleeting second, then composed herself and smiled at the reporters despite the continuous light flashes. She responded in neither a humble nor arrogant manner. "Starting tomorrow, I'll oversee this project, and I'll be responsible for the cooperation with the Leighton Corporation."

"Miss Wright has just entered the Wright Corporation, but you already want to take it over? Is it because you're dissatisfied with how Mr. Clark runs the company?"

Leila was unfazed. "Wright Corporation doesn't just belong to my family. There are also other shareholders. However, as a filial daughter, I want to share my father's worries because he's not getting any younger."

Leila smiled inwardly. There wasn't anything wrong with what she said, but the meaning underlying her words implied that her father had to retire because he was old.

Philip, who was watching from the sidelines, was livid. But he suppressed his anger because of the cameras pointing at him.

Meanwhile, the reporter who asked that question was stumped by her reply. However, other reporters wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.

"So why is Miss Wright in charge of this project instead of Vice President Clark?"

The confident smile on Leila's lips froze. She fastened her expression and spoke calmly, "Vice President Clark doesn't have time because she's preparing for her marriage."

Without giving Leila any face, one of the reporters threw another question everyone wanted to ask. "Vice President Clark was spotted shopping yesterday in France. She didn't seem to be so busy, right? Is there any other reason why you said that, Miss Wright?"

Leila's heart sank. 'Damn it! Why did Talia go shopping yesterday?'

She racked her brain to think about what to say, but her mind was utterly blank. Beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead as everyone in the venue watched her every movement. Some reporters smiled at her, which roused her frustration even more.

Leila felt uncomfortable as if she was sitting on pins and needles. She fiddled with her fingers as she desperately thought about how she would get out of this situation.

Amid her contemplation, the conference room door sprang open, and a majestic figure suddenly emerged in the gap in the door.

Her eyes darted toward him, and Leila had an illusion that the man had just stepped out of the painting. He looked dashing in his well-tailored black suit, and his imposing aura immediately stunned everyone in the room.

"I'll answer you guys on her behalf," Zachary unhurriedly said. He walked to the rostrum and stood in front of Leila.

Leila didn't know if it was unintentional or not. Nevertheless, his tall figure completely blocked those flashing lights from dazzling her.

"Regardless of how much Wright loses, I, Zachary Leighton, will make up for it. In addition, Wright Corporation's reputation is well-known to everyone, and Leighton is pleased to collaborate with such a partner. As for Miss Wright, I admired her for a long time, but alas, she had a cold heart."

As he spoke, Zachary's face seemed like he was regretful.

Nevertheless, his words made the reporters happy even though their previous question wasn't answered. It was because Zachary's words were much more juicy and explosive than Leila's.

Behind him, Leila lowered her head, and a self-deprecating smile flashed on her lips. She didn't know who was more ruthless than them.

Shortly after, the press conference ended perfectly. Leila was grateful for Zachary's timely arrival. If not, then she would have screwed up the press conference.

However, when she looked at Zachary, he was no longer there. She looked at the door and saw him leaving with bodyguards around him, protecting him against the reporters.

She made up her mind and chased after him. She should thank him since he helped her out again.

When she reached the ground floor, she thought Zachary had already left, but she saw him leaning against the luxurious black Maybach while smoking a cigarette.

Leila paused for a moment and thought Zachary's car was just like him, aloof and domineering.

Then she walked over and stopped before him. "Is your stomach okay, President Leighton?"

"Yeah," Zachary said curtly. He flicked off the soot of a cigarette with his finger as he studied the woman in front of him. "Have you recovered from your cold?"

When she heard that, Leila was confused at first, then she remembered her nonsensical excuse at his company's rooftop. She cleared her throat and nodded. She was oblivious to the profound glint that flitted into Zachary's eyes as he stared at her.

"I'll pay back the money within a month." Leila shifted the topic, which made Zachary's eyebrows quirk.

"Are you richer than me?" Zachary said with an amused grin on his lips.

Leila didn't expect this. She choked on her saliva and got caught in a fit of a cough. "No."

"Then don't mention it."

She vehemently shook her head. She didn't want to owe him. That was why she wanted to return it as soon as possible.

Seeing her being stubborn, he sighed. "Alright. Since I invested in Wright Corporation, I'll take ten percent of the shares. How about that?"

Leila hummed in agreement, but she looked at him solemnly. "But you have to wait for the return on investment."

Zachary smiled gently and spoke with his usual deep voice. "Okay. I'll wait for the day you become the president of the Wright Corporation."

A warm current spread through her veins upon hearing his words. At least there was someone who believed she could do it. "I will."

His lips curled up into a smile when he saw her confident look. He threw the cigarette butt into the trash can not far away from him and ruffled Leila's head.

Leila stared at him with surprise, which made him reluctant to part with her. Nevertheless, he retracted his hand, got inside the car, and then drove away.

Leila stood there and watched the departing figure of the car. It took her a few minutes before she returned to her senses.

She didn't have a car, so she had to hail a cab. However, when she was about to leave, someone called her.

"Miss Wright."

She turned and saw it was Sunshine. The latter was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Why are you here, Secretary Moore?" Her brows furrowed in confusion, and she thought, 'Zachary had just left, so why was she here?'

"President Leighton told me to send you home."

"I'm fine, so I won't trouble you-" Before she could finish her words, her phone rang. She fished out the device from her pocket and cast an apologetic smile at Sunshine. "Excuse me. I'll take this call first."

After a few moments, she hung up the phone. It was her father, asking her to come home quickly.

She walked out of the parking lot, but Sunshine followed her.

"Miss Wright, get inside. Mr. Leighton said I should take you home."

Leila felt helpless. She took a deep breath and hopped in.

On the way home, neither of them spoke, and shortly after, they arrived at the Wright Villa.

"Thanks." After expressing her gratitude, Leila alighted from the car and headed inside the house.

Upon entering, she saw her father holding a glass of wine. When he saw Leila, he stood up and strode before her.

Leila's nose wrinkled when she caught a whiff of the strong scent of alcohol from Philip.

"Lei, I have something to tell you. It's not something important, but I want to chat with you." Philip smiled and talked about nonsensical things, which made her thoughts drift away.

It seemed that her father had drunk a lot of wine. His face was flushed red, but she could see he was still handsome even though he was beyond a fifty-year-old man. Otherwise, how could a woman like Shiela, fifteen years his younger, have fancied him when he was an impoverished man?

Moreover, her father was also cunning and business savvy. Thus, he coaxed her mother and grandmother into handing over the Wright Corporation to him.

"Lei, do you have a boyfriend?" After beating around the bush, Philip finally cut the chase.

"No," Leila denied softly.

"Then are you and Zachary dating?" Philip looked at her eagerly, but he failed to see Leila's expression had turned ashen.

"Father, Zachary, and I..." She didn't have time to explain because he had already cut her off.

"Lei, it doesn't matter if you like him. You are also my daughter, so you don't have to worry. You have my back. If Zachary likes you, I won't interfere with your relationship."

Leila pursed her lips and said nothing. She finally understood what he was talking about. It was because Zachary 'confessed' to her during the press conference.

"Lei, don't misunderstand Dad, okay? I didn't say anything during the press conference because there were a lot of reporters. And they would doubt Talia's marriage, so I stayed silent." After explaining, Philip stretched out his hand and was about to pat Leila's head, but the latter dodged. He was embarrassed, so he laughed to mask it.

Leila listened to him, and her forehead creased. 'When did my father's face become so thick?'

"Father, if you don't have anything more to say, I'll retire to my room." Just as she finished saying this, she was about to leave, but Philip caught her arm.

"Lei, since you became the project manager, you're now one of the employees of the Wright Corporation. It would be best if you worked hard because when Talia gets married, I'll give you the position of Vice President," he spoke so enthusiastically that he didn't notice the impatience brewing inside Leila's eyes.

"By the way, today, I discussed investment cooperation with the Martin family, and I thought I should leave this project to you as well. This cooperation with them is essential, so I'm giving you this project because I believe you can do it." Philip smiled until his eyes bent into a crescent shape.

"Okay. I'll do it well," Leila replied tersely. Although she knew that her father might be scheming something because there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, she couldn't bear to let this opportunity slip away to entrenched in the Wright family business.

After agreeing with him, Philip let her go back to her room.

Leila went to the guest room and covered herself with a quilt. It was raining, and the wind gusted inside her room, but she didn't want to close the window. She shuddered from the wind, so she hugged the quilt tighter.

As she stared outside, she was suddenly reminded of what happened in her first year in high school.

Back then, she was taciturn, so she had no friends and didn't get along with her classmates.

When she was about to go home, someone locked the classroom door, and she couldn't get it to open no matter what she did. Coincidentally, it rained heavily, and there was a power shortage. Only the lighting illuminated the dark room.

She sat in the corner, enduring the cold and hunger and the agonizing recollection of her mother's death. As she listened to the shrill thunder, her ears were buzzing as though someone was screaming in her ears. She thought she would follow her mother and almost passed out.

However, she heard hurried footsteps outside, and soon after, the door sprang open. When she raised her head, she saw the school principal and directors, but her eyes settled on the handsome young man.

Leila slowly stood up and took a deep breath to calm herself because she didn't want to be seen as weak by an outsider.

Then she heard the principal speak with an apologetic face. "President Leighton, the person you are looking for is really here."

Upon hearing his words, Leila was confused. 'Why were they looking for her?'

Even though she had this thought, she was grateful that they found her here. If not, she would have to spend the night in the classroom.

"Why are you here?" she couldn't help but ask. It was the second time she had met the handsome man, so they were still considered strangers.

The young man sauntered and stopped before her with a faint smile on his lips, and he whispered, "I'll take you home."

His gentle words stunned her into silence. She lowered her gaze as her eyelids trembled.

'Home... I never thought I'd hear that word again since mom died seven years ago.'

Leila felt like choking up. She was only nine years old then—an innocent little girl who never knew how dark and cold her life would become after the light disappeared from her world.

Leila lifted her head. A dainty smile blossomed on her lips. "Let's go home, Zach."

Zachary held out his hand, and she took it. "Alright, Lei."

He squeezed her hand, and his eyes glimmered with fondness.

The lightning struck again, which woke Leila up from her reminiscence. She sighed and closed her eyes to sleep.

At the same time, in the Leighton Corporation, Zachary stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, staring outside while smoking.

It was already three in the morning, yet he didn't feel sleepy.

Suddenly, a knock sounded, but he didn't turn to see who it was. The door slowly opened, and Sunshine stepped inside while holding documents.

"Secretary Moore, did you send her home?" he asked as he blew out the smoke.

"Yes," Sunshine replied curtly.

"Did she say something to you in the car?" he casually asked, taking Sunshine aback, but still she replied, "No. She didn't."

Zachary couldn't help but laugh mockingly. 'Sure enough, that girl was really heartless.'

"Mr. Leighton, here's the information you want." Sunshine handed him the documents respectfully. Just as she was about to head home, Zachary called her and told her to investigate everything about Leila five years ago.

Zachary took the folder and sat on the swivel chair. He put the cigarette between his lips and almost choked when he took a deep breath.

"When Madam Leighton had an accident, the nurse said it was a young lady who sent her to the hospital. According to the information I gathered, it seems that girl was Miss Wright," Sunshine explained.

The incident five years ago was deeply imprinted on her mind. Even though she didn't know what exactly happened, Sunshine knew when Madam Leighton's car almost exploded, a girl saved her from the raging fire.

The Leighton family tried to find her, but it was fruitless. The nurses who saw her couldn't tell her appearance because she was covered with soot. Little did they know it was actually Leila.

Sunshine thought Zachary would no longer bring up this matter since they didn't get any lead in the investigation five years ago. Unexpectedly, he suddenly asked her to investigate Leila.

Surprisingly, the girl they were looking for turned out to be her! The things Sunshine discovered about Leila matched the incident five years ago, so she already had a hunch that the latter was related to that accident.

Hence, she looked for the nurse who saw Leila and showed her the picture, but the nurse said she didn't know her, so Sunshine played a record of Leila's voice, and this time, the nurse recognized it. Fortunately, Leila's voice didn't change. If not, Sunshine was afraid no one would know it was her who saved Madam Leighton.

"If that girl was Miss Wright, why didn't she say anything?" Sunshine suddenly asked.

Zachary's fingers on the documents stiffened. Gloom had swept over his eyes. He closed the folder, snubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray, and said, "Look for all the witnesses that night and ask them."

"Yes." Sunshine nodded and retreated.

Zachary closed his eyes when the door closed, and Leila's unsmiling face flashed into his mind.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had already passed. During this time, Leila had been swamped with work. Aside from working hours in the company, she also visited Allen in the hospital in the evening. After that, she would lie in bed once she went home. It became her daily routine.

Since her father handed her the cooperation with the Martin family, she worked hard to compensate for her lack of experience. She knew her father didn't genuinely believe in her ability. Instead, he wanted to monitor her.

However, for the sake of getting all of her things back, she would endure everything.

Leila shook her head and sorted out her thoughts. Like what her father told her, this project was important because it was a real estate development project, and the government was the primary investor. This project was already demanding on its own. And to have the government pay attention to every step of the process, Leila was under immense pressure because she had no experience handling such matters.

Leila sighed and took a sip of the coffee on her table. Then she scanned through the document in front of her, looking for previous similar development cases of Wright Corporation.

As she flipped through the documents, her eyes landed on the end of the paper. She saw a familiar signature—it was her father's.

The document was dated four years ago. It was the second project that her father personally managed.

Leila couldn't help but frown. What makes this project special that her father, the president, needs to manage it personally?

She closed the document and sent a message to Macey, telling her to meet at the cafe at eight o'clock, after work.

She sighed and started to work again. Time passed, and Leila saw it was time to get off work.

She stretched her hand and took her bag and the two folders on her table. Subsequently, she left the company and headed straight to the cafe.

Not long after she arrived, Macey sat in front of her.

Upon seeing her, Leila showed a faint smile. "Secretary Adams is always punctual."

Macey smiled lightly. She was wearing hip-hop-style casual clothes and a baseball cap. Her appearance right now was vastly different from her serious and cold image in the company.

She didn't know why Leila called her there. Nonetheless, she showed up because she wanted to know what she would tell her. In all honesty, Macey had admired Leila for a long time. Leila's charisma and capability to lead people greatly astonished her when she was a new hire at the Corporation.

Even now, Macey still admired her very much.

Leila looked at the woman before her and didn't beat around the bush. She pushed the document in front of her and said, "Do you have any recollection of these two projects?"

Macey grabbed the folder and flipped through the papers. "Yes. But this document seems normal." She paused for a moment as if she recalled something. "I remember this project began when I started working for the company. But that's all I know since, at that time, I was still a small staff member."

Then she pointed at the second document. "However, this project left a great impression on me. President Clark was in charge of this one. He specifically told me not to intervene in this project. He said he could handle it alone." Macey looked at Leila with curiosity. "Why, Miss Wright? Is there something wrong?"

Leila sighed as she stirred the coffee. Her eyes narrowed. "This project wracked up hundreds of millions of investment, but there weren't any returns, not even a penny. I have a friend in London and told him to run a background check on those companies. He found out all of them were empty shells. They're paper companies."

Macey's eyes widened slightly. Then she said, "Well, I think it wasn't that surprising. I had doubts about the accident on this project before, so I asked President Clark about it. However, he was wary and handed everything over to Vice President Clark."

Leila took a deep breath and casually took a sip of her coffee. "My father is extremely sly as a fox. He gave this a lot of thought. He wouldn't let anyone catch him while embezzling money from the company. Moreover, even if some projects had losses, it wouldn't arouse suspicion from the directors because it was a normal thing in business, and they had to pay attention to other large-scale company projects. So this allowed my father to transfer all the investment in that project into his pocket."

Macey sucked in a deep breath. "So, what can I help you with?"

Leila clasped her hands and stared deeply at Macey. "The Wright Corporation is a huge company, yet it almost faced bankruptcy in just a few years. I think my father had a hand in this matter, and this project isn't the only one he used to embezzle funds for. There might be other projects. So please look into it but be discreet. Don't let my father find out."

After their discussion ended, the two parted ways, and Macey started to look into every project of the Wright Corporation.

Macey was highly efficient, and in less than a week, she found more than a dozen contracts with small investments. The contract signing time gradually began after Philip entered the top management of the Wright Corporation, and the projects' investments ranged from hundreds to hundreds of millions.

The Wright Corporation had a market value of hundreds of billions of dollars. And usually, the large-scale projects it ran amounted to billions of dollars. Hence, no one paid attention to the small investments in Philip's projects.

It was rather inconspicuous, so if Leila didn't tell her to look into it, she was afraid no one would know that Philip had already embezzled the funds for those projects.

Macey sorted out the documents and went to the cafe where they had met last time. When she arrived, Leila was already there.

"These are the contracts I found suspicious. However, most of them are early projects, and the investments are usually small."

Leila took the documents and scanned them, one after another. The earliest time dated the year she was born. Her jaw tightened, and she almost crumpled the papers in her hands.

'Did her father's conspiracy start when she was born? Or had he already planned to destroy the company from the beginning?'

Macey's fingers tapped the table. "What are you going to do now?"

Leila momentarily fell silent. She heaved a deep sigh and massaged her throbbing temple. "He's still my father, so I can't just throw him in prison. Well, go back first and give me some time to think."

"Okay." Macey nodded and left.

Leila leaned against the chair and fell into a daze. It took her a few moments before she regained her senses.

The next day, at the most extensive golf course in Tesanera City, Philip played golf to his heart's content.

Philip hit the white ball with great precision, which immediately rolled on the green lawn and fell leisurely on the hole.

After seeing this, he heard applause, which made him stick out his chest proudly.

"Your golf skills are getting better and better!" A man praised him. It was one of his business partners.

"Thank you." Philip smiled proudly. He handed the golf club to the caddie and walked to the forefront, where the ball fell.

He donned light-colored casual clothes and a white ball cap. Even though he dressed in a low-key manner, it was discernible it was expensive.

However, he had just taken a few steps when he saw a familiar figure. The grin plastered on his lips instantly vanished.

"Father," Leila called.

His face darkened. His reaction didn't seem like he was facing his daughter but a creditor.

Leila saw his expression and sighed inwardly. Ever since she had become aware of things when she was little, she knew her father didn't like seeing her, in contrast, when facing Talia.

"Father, I have something to discuss with you," she said firmly.

"It's the weekend, so I won't talk about business. Go back." After saying this, he brushed past her and walked toward his business partners.

Leila almost gnashed her teeth. She took a deep breath and spat, "But we need to talk about this matter."

As if no one heard her, Philip didn't respond.

Impatience and anger rose inside her. She fumed, "Then President Clark surely knows about American Dream Builders, don't you?"

Upon hearing her, Philip froze. He eyed her grimly, and his eyes turned sharper than blades. "You're mistaken. I know nothing about that."

"Alright. You don't know. But I'm sure you know Green Woods Enterprise, Riverstone Realty, and Retro Electronics because those are companies you have cooperated with. However, when I look into them, they're nothing but empty shells."

Even though she didn't speak loudly, the few beside Philip heard her. They didn't dare to look straight at Leila, but in the corner of their eyes, they looked at Philip and Leila alternately.

Philip's face turned blue in anger. He suppressed his rage and spoke through gritted teeth. "Let's talk inside."

Without waiting for Leila to respond, he strode toward the VIP lounge.