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.

Leila trailed after her father and went inside the VIP lounge.

As soon as they had gotten inside, Philip's angry voice rang. "What is the meaning of this, Leila? What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Father, you should return the money you embezzled from the company. I won't tell anyone about it. I'll forget about this matter and guarantee it won't shake up your position as Wright's President as long as you return it," Leila firmly said.

After thinking about it the entire night, that was the least she could do for him. Even though he wasn't a good father to her, the blood running through her veins came from him. So, she couldn't stomach sending him to prison.

"Did you come here just to say this? I told you to focus on taking care of the project with the Martins, yet you're running around and spewing such nonsense to my face. I'm telling you, if problems arise with the project you're in charge of, even I, your father, won't be able to protect you," he reproached.

Leila curved her lips mockingly. "Despite me calling you father, in your heart, you never saw me as your daughter," she scoffed, quickly hiding her burning disappointment behind her frigidness.

"But regardless if you're my father, you need to return that money, and I won't pursue this matter any longer," she added.

"I don't have the money. What can you do about it? Moreover, even if I do, I won't give it to you," he seethed. Still, he didn't admit to his wrongdoings.

Albeit she couldn't find fault in his words, she already knew what he had done over the years of working for the company.

Her eyes glazed over. "Father, I don't want to reach the point where we turn against each other. So think it over. I'll wait for your reply tomorrow."

After saying this, Leila calmly left the lounge.

Staring at her departing figure, Philip gnashed his teeth in rage. A vicious glint flitted into his eyes. He whipped out his phone and dialed a string of numbers. "It's me, Philip Clark. Tomorrow, I'll..."

Meanwhile, Leila threw her head back and sighed. A sense of unease thrummed in her veins. She didn't know what her father would decide, but she hoped he would return the money.

As she waited, days passed, but he still didn't give her any response. It was already Monday. It seemed Philip was determined not to return the money.

Leila closed her laptop and was about to leave the office to have lunch, but she heard a knock on the door.

The door opened, and a figure came inside. It was Philip.

"Father," she greeted.

"Lei, I thought about this matter, and I think it's better to return the money. Give me your account, and I'll wire you the money." Philip sighed and looked at her with guilt flickering in his eyes.

"Okay." Leila nodded. Although she was doubtful, looking at her father's guilt-stricken and tired face, she relented because she couldn't deny that a small part of her still wanted to believe in him.

As he looked at her, tears brimmed in his eyes. When he spoke, he choked with emotion. "I've thought about what you've been through, and Dad feels sorry for you. But I'll make it up to you, so don't take matters from the past to heart, okay?"

"Don't think like that," she said as she averted her gaze. She gave her account to him and sighed.

Philip sniffled. "I'll transfer the money to you right away."

She hummed in agreement, and shortly after, she received a huge sum of money.

"Then those documents..." Philip trailed off and looked at her hesitantly.

Leila immediately understood his words. She took the documents on her table and the lighter, and in front of him, she burned them to ashes.

"Is that all?" Philip looked at the ashes skeptically and eyed her suspiciously as if saying she might have a backup with those documents.

Upon hearing his words, Leila's heart sank. The warm current that covered her heart gradually dissipated. A mocking smile tugged at her lips. "I swear that's all the documents."

"That's good then." Philip heaved a sigh of relief and finally left.

After her father left, Leila thought the unease she felt would vanish, but it deepened even more. A sense of foreboding arose from within her. It was as though something would happen, but she didn't know what it was.

She shook her head and cleared out her thoughts. She went out and had lunch outside, and after that, Leila went to one of the construction sites.

Leila was busy overseeing the people, but her phone rang.

"Manager Wright, where are you? President Clark said you must return to the Wright Corporation as soon as possible. Something bad happened. The building on the waterfront in the south of the Oasis River collapsed! There have been fatal casualties," Macey anxiously said.

Leila's expression became grim. She squeezed her phone and said, "I'll go back. Wait for me."

"There are media outside the Wright Corporation, so you can't go through the main entrance. Please find another way to get inside."

"Alright, I understand." She hung up the phone and hurried back to the company.

At the Wright Corporation.

Countless reporters flocked in front of the Wright Corporation. They'd been standing there since three in the afternoon. All of them were on the lookout to interview the person in charge of the project on Lotus Flower Road in Tesanera City.

Wright Corporation's new government-funded project had suddenly collapsed. The top building exploded, and not all people managed to escape, resulting in severe casualties. Among them, seven people sustained minor injuries. Two were severely wounded, and, unfortunately, someone lost their life.

However, that wasn't the sole reason these reporters had gathered up at the Wright Corporation's front door. The project had already garnered the public's attention because of the government's involvement and Leighton's collaboration with the Wrights. But this was the corporation's biggest scandal since Leila took over the management. Hence, the second these reporters heard about what had happened, they hurried over and swarmed at the entrance.

Despite the scorching sun, the media patiently waited for Leila. Since she was in charge of the project and the heiress of the Wrights, she had to bear the brunt.

Two hours passed, and the reporters grew impatient, but they could only wait.

Suddenly, someone amongst the crowd shouted, "Leila Wright is here!"

They simultaneously looked at the road and saw an approaching taxi. As if seeing a celebrity, the reporters rushed toward the vehicle and adjusted their cameras, trying to get a perfect angle for Leila.

Unbeknownst to them, a slender figure sneaked inside the Wright Corporation as they got busy waiting for Leila to alight the car.

Leila had already reached the top floor when the reporters discovered there was no one in the taxi.

When she entered the chairman's office, immediately, she felt all eyes fall on her.

She took a deep breath and panned her gaze at the directors and shareholders. "The most urgent task is to deal with the families of the injured workers. I'll deal with it, so—"

Before she finished her words, Philip cut her off. "You don't have to. I'll find someone to take care of it. As for you, you need to go somewhere."

"Where?" Leila frowned and stared at him. Then she saw her father pointing at her back. She turned and saw Macey, along with six police officers.

"Are you Leila Wright?" the chief police officer asked.

"Yes." Leila stared at him, and the man spoke again.

"I'm Calum Clarkson, the chief of the Economic Investigation Team of the Public Security Bureau of Tesanera City. Miss Wright, you're suspected of commercial bribery. We must investigate this matter, so please cooperate and come with us."

"I've taken bribery? From who?" Leila asked the chief, but her gaze darted toward her father. The latter pretended he didn't see it, which made her heart sink.

"We received an anonymous letter reporting that you received bribes from the Peterson Corporation, Wright's competitor. We checked your account, and a huge sum of money was transferred to you just this noon," Chief Clarkson explained.

Hearing his explanation, she closed her eyes for a moment. 'Anonymous letter? Huge sum of money at noon?'

A sense of ridicule thrummed in her veins. A small part of her believed Philip would see her as his daughter one day crumbled into nothingness. Apparently, he never regarded her as his daughter; that was just all her wishful thinking.

She let out a long breath and calmly stared at the chief. "Okay. I'll go with you."

Leila walked over, but she abruptly halted after a few steps when her phone rang. She accepted the call without looking at the caller ID. "Hello."

Her brows furrowed when she heard nothing. She glanced at the screen and saw Zachary's number.

She sighed and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I have time today," he suddenly spoke.

"But I don't have time." Leila's eyes darted at the police officers looking at her. The other line was silent again. She was about to speak when she realized what he meant.

It seemed he already knew what had happened, so he wanted to help her. But he didn't take action himself because he knew she had strong self-esteem. He was considering her feelings, but as long as she asked him, he would help her immediately.

Her eyes grew hot. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to cry at this moment. "Well, I'm hanging up. Bye."

She blinked her eyes and began walking. The police escorted her, and not long after, they arrived at the police station.

Shortly after Leila's detainment, this matter spread like wildfire. The bereaved family members of the worker that died and the workers that incurred injuries rushed to the doorsteps of Wright Corporation and demanded compensation. Some of them were even determined to sue the company.

As for Leila, she stayed inside her cell and refused to see anyone who tried to visit her.

During the first trial, she didn't provide any evidence to prove her innocence, so it was a foregone conclusion she would stay inside the prison.

Because of this, Macey and Lawyer Campbell asked to see her several times, but she refused every time.

Then, a man came to the police station the night before the final trial. The mayor and the chief of public security were surprised to see him, especially when the man told them to take him to a particular cell.

The two accompanied him, and shortly after, they reached Leila's cell.

"President Leighton, here she is." Chief Clarkson unlocked the cell, and Zachary slowly walked inside.

The cell was damp, and the moldy scent lingered in the air, which made Zachary frown.

He scanned the entire room, and his eyes landed on the lone figure of a woman burrowing her head in her knees and hugging her legs. He strode in front of her and crouched down.

Zachary suppressed the urge to carry her and take her away from there immediately. He patted her shoulder lightly, and only then did Leila realize someone was inside her cell.

"Zachary?" she asked in a daze.

"It's me." He breathed heavily and tried to repress the rage that was about to erupt.

"Am I having hallucinations again?" Leila softly said as she tilted her head and rubbed her eyes.

Seeing her vulnerable state, Zachary couldn't help but pull her into a hug. Initially, he wanted to ask her opinion about her situation, but at that moment, all he wanted was to take her away and protect her from any harm.

He lifted her slender body and eyed the two men outside Leila's cell. "I'll take her away."

The two looked at him with resignation. Even if they wanted to, how could they go against him?

With Leila in his arms, Zachary stormed out of the prison.

The cold wind from the late autumn gusted, and Leila shivered, but it made her mind clear. She snuggled against his arms and timidly looked at him. When she saw his clenched jaw, she knew he was angry.

Moments passed, and they finally reached the car. Louis, Zachary's driver, immediately opened the door.

Zachary slightly bent his back and carefully put Leila in the backseat. He took off his long trench coat and wrapped it around her cold body.

Her wretched appearance further ignited the fire inside his eyes.

'If only I had taken action earlier, she wouldn't have to suffer like this.' He thought as he went inside the car and hugged her again.

Leila was oblivious to his thoughts and assumed he was angry with her. She lowered her head and nestled in his arms timidly. Unknowingly, she fell asleep.

The car drove past the group of luxurious villas. Not long after, they arrived at an enormous, luxurious villa.

Zachary alighted from the car and picked up Leila. He carried her again and strode to the foyer.

Leila suddenly woke up. She was surprised to see they had already arrived at his house. She looked at Zachary and whispered, "I can walk by myself."

He glanced at her, but he didn't let her go. He went to the third floor, kicked the door open of his room, and headed straight to the bathroom. "Take a shower first."