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."

After laying Leila down in the empty bathtub, Zachary went out of the bathroom. He glanced at the door for a fleeting second before leaving the room.

As soon as he closed the door, he saw the head maid, Tanya, carrying clothes heading to his room.

"Sir, you're back," Aunt Tanya greeted him, and Zachary just nodded.

She stared at him for a moment and glanced at the door of his room. Gossip was buzzing throughout the entire estate.

'Mr. Leighton brought a woman with him.'

Tanya was just as surprised as the other maids because this was the first time he had brought a woman to his house.

"Come with me to the kitchen."

Tanya returned to her senses when she heard him. She nodded, hurriedly entered the room, and then placed the clothes on the bed.

She went downstairs and headed to the kitchen. Upon entering, she was taken aback when she saw Zachary wearing an apron while washing the vegetables and subsequently chopping them skillfully.

She sidled up and tried to take the knife from him. "Sir, I'll cook, so you don't have to do this."

She knew that Zachary more or less knew how to cook. He stayed in London for years and cooked for himself. But he rarely cooked anything ever since he returned, so it was surprising that he suddenly wanted to cook.

"No, I've got this." Zachary dodged her hand. Then he stir-fried the vegetables.

Tanya felt helpless, but she didn't interfere any longer. When the stir-fried vegetables were finally cooked, Zachary spoke again.

"Help me get the milk from the refrigerator and bring it to the guest upstairs along with this food. Watch her finish all this, okay? But don't say anything else."

"Yes." Tanya nodded and took out a bottle of milk. She glanced at Zachary, and a seed of curiosity sprouted inside her heart when she saw him don a gentle expression as he plated the food.

Tanya placed the food on the tray and carried it upstairs. Leila had yet to come out of her bath, so she waited for her inside the room.

A few minutes later, a slender figure emerged from the bathroom door.

"Mr. Leighton said you should eat to replenish your energy."

Leila almost jumped in fright when someone spoke. She looked ahead and saw a middle-aged woman. The way she addressed Zachary, probably, she was a maid.

She nodded and smiled. "Okay, thank you."

Her mouth watered at the sight of food on the table, and her stomach growled. Leila immediately wolfed down the food and drank the milk.

Tanya watched her with a smile, and Leila felt her gaze, which made her smile in embarrassment. "Uhm... What about Zach? Did he eat?"

"Yes, and Sir is in the study," Tanya said. Subsequently, she cleaned up the small table and took the dishes away.

Leila smiled, then she went to the study room. After knocking three times, she stepped inside.

Zachary's head was buried in documents, and he didn't lift his head to see her.

She walked over and spoke softly, "I'm full."

"Okay," Zachary replied without sparing her a glance. He was reading and occasionally writing something.

Leila held her skirt and coiled her fist. "Did you break into jail just to save me?"

Zachary's hand paused in writing. He looked at her and was about to say something, but she spoke again.

"Don't worry. I'll win tomorrow's trial," Leila said confidently.

She wanted to laugh at herself for being softhearted and naïve. She believed her father wouldn't harm her because of their blood ties. But all along, she was only fooling herself.

She let out a long breath and continued, "Philip is a scheming man, and this time, he might have cleaned up the traces of his crime. But I don't think he can do it alone. There might be someone behind him, helping him in the dark. But I won't be softhearted this time. I'll catch them all!"

Upon seeing her determined expression, he flashed a smile, giving his cold face a devilishly charming vibe.

'She's very gutsy indeed, but that's more like her. My woman should be like that.' He thought.

The next day, at nine in the morning, at Tesanera City Criminal Court.

"Your honor, the document in my hand indicates that the excess money in the account came from my client herself." Lawyer Campbell paused and handed over the exhibit to the judge. It was the evidence Leila gave him in the morning.

Then he continued, "I move that defendant's Exhibit A be introduced into court as evidence."

As the judge reviewed the exhibit, Lawyer Campbell explained, "Most of us know that my client had lived in the United Kingdom for five years and just returned. Hence, she transferred all the money from a Swiss bank account into her individual account due to some inconveniences on her end."

"I object to that. The defendant was only a college student when she lived overseas. How could she have a huge sum of money in her account?" The prosecutor looked at Lawyer Campbell solemnly.

And having raised his argument, everyone's eyes instantly fell on Lawyer Campbell. The prosecutor was quite famous in the field. He was someone intelligent and sophisticated yet difficult to deal with. However, Lawyer Campbell won't take it down so easily.

"In my client's spare time, she had a part-time job," he calmly responded. Then Lawyer Campbell handed the exhibit to the judge. They were bank identity statements.

"I'll show you what has been marked for identification as an exhibit," he paused and showed the information on the back identity statements. Then he reminded, "This is a privacy issue for our clients, so please keep it confidential."

The prosecutor's face turned ashen. "Is the evidence you submitted fabricated? Otherwise, why didn't you submit them during the first and second trials?" he asked.

Lawyer Campbell smiled and explained, "My client chose not to submit it before simply because she wanted to give the other party an opportunity to change their mind. But unfortunately, her good intentions had gone down the drain. Please allow me to clarify that my client is Wright's legitimate heiress, and she wouldn't do anything that will tarnish her family's reputation."

He took a deep breath and continued, "My client has always been a filial and clever girl. She will never destroy the foundation her ancestors laid for them, just for a small benefit. Consequently, my client has been wrongly accused."

Lawyer Campbell's reasonable words reverberated across the silent courtroom. His words moved everyone inside.

"Exhibit A is marked as evidence," the judge ruled.

Time passed slowly, and after reaching a decision, the jury notified the bailiff, and the latter notified the judge.

"Based on the evidence submitted to the court by the defendant. Leila Wright has been found not guilty of embezzlement and is hereby acquitted of the said crime!" the judge ruled as he slammed the gavel.

After winning the trial, Lawyer Campbell congratulated her. Leila just smiled and left the courtroom. The minute she opened the door, she met Sunshine who was waiting for her.

"Miss Wright, Mr. Leighton said I need to send you home," Sunshine directly informed.

"No. I want to walk by myself," Leila flatly refused and left.

On the way back to her house, she whipped out her phone and dialed a string of numbers. Her call connected after a few rings.

"Lei?" A mature and charming female voice sounded at the other end. Her tone was laced with confusion.

"Mandy, it's me." Leila gnawed her lips and asked, "Where's Nate?"

"He's now asleep. But earlier, when he saw the news you were locked in a prison, he badly wanted to call you and look for you. He was frantically screaming, and it took a while before he calmed down. I told him you'd be released, and he could call you by then." Mandy sighed.

"Thank you, Mandy," Leila said sincerely.

Five years ago, when she ran away, it was Mandy who helped her. If it wasn't for her, Leila didn't know if she would still be alive by now.

She took a deep breath and interrupted Mandy's chatter. "Mandy, I have decided."

"Are you serious this time?" Mandy's cheerful tone became solemn.

"Yes. Today, I've really done my best, but..." Leila's words trailed off as she heaved a deep sigh. After this incident, disappointment after disappointment waved through her. She shouldn't have high hopes for her so-called relatives.

She looked up and stared at the group of geese flying in the sky, soaring freely in the air.

Looking at them, Leila suddenly felt a hint of envy. If someone she knew looked at her, they would be surprised to see such an expression on her usually unruffled face.

After chatting with Mandy for quite some time, she hung up the phone and returned to the Wright Villa.

When she entered the house, there was no sign of her father.

Feeling thirsty, she went to the kitchen and saw Talia eating lunch.

Upon seeing her, Talia's expression became ugly. She immediately slammed her cutlery and snapped at Leila. "What are you doing here?"

Talia changed from the usual decent and delicate woman to a wildly hideous expression. She stared daggers at Leila and wished the latter would drop dead with her gaze.

She hated Leila because Talia was just a mere illegitimate child as long as she was there. However, to make everyone forget that she was illegitimate, she pretended to be a delicate and innocent woman. Even before her parents, she had to act like a loving sister so everyone would like her instead of Leila.

"Are you sure you want to chase me away? Have you forgotten that the media is paying attention to my every move? Let me remind you. I'm now acquitted and innocent. Your perfect image would surely crumble if you drove me out of my house. Maybe you'll become a headline tomorrow morning, saying a mere illegitimate daughter chased out the legal one. I figured you don't want that to happen, do you?"

Talia's face turned white. She gritted her teeth and sneered. "Fine. You stay here. But I'll show you all the things that belong to you will all become mine. All the people that could help you were already buried six feet under the ground. Now, you're just a powerless woman. Even if you want to take back Wright Corporation, you don't have the ability! Watch as I slowly become glamorous while you crawl out of this house like a vermin!"

After shouting at Leila's face, she violently pushed her, which almost made Leila stumble. Then she went upstairs with a dark expression.

When Leila regained balance and was about to retort, Talia was long gone. Her hands clenched into a deathly grip. Her knuckles had turned white as her nails dug deeply into her flesh.

On the other hand, Philip was still in his office even though it was already nine in the evening.

He was enraged that Leila managed to escape the trap he laid for her. Initially, he thought she wouldn't be able to turn the tables since she didn't provide any evidence during the first and second trials, but apparently, he underestimated her. Even though he was livid, he could only stifle his anger, which caused him to feel even more out-of-sorts.

Just thinking that she foiled his plans and walked out of court free along with the sum of money he gave her, Philip felt as though someone had taken out his heart, and he couldn't breathe.

"Old man, you lost the game this time." A middle-aged man beside Philip patted him on the shoulder. He cast a sidelong glance at Philip as he twirled the wine glass in his hand.

"That damn wench is surely capable!" Philip snarled. He poured himself a glass of wine and immediately finished it in one motion.

"You shouldn't have been careless. Your daughter took after that old lady. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to get out of the prison unscathed," the man commented. He had elegant bearings, but his words were sharp as blades.

"What are you going to do this time? I told you before, don't be softhearted on her," the man added.

"Of course, I know that! I was careless this time, but I won't let that happen again! I've been working hard so I could make the Wright Corporation go bankrupt, and I won't let the likes of her ruin my painstaking efforts for twenty years!" A trace of malevolent light flashed past Philip's eyes. His grip on the wine glass tightened, almost crushing it.

"Then do you have a plan?" the man asked.

Philip took a deep breath to calm himself and asked, "Do you know Alvis?"

The man looked at him as though he was looking at a fool and chuckled. "Of course. Who doesn't know him?" he replied.

Alvis was a famous investor who earned him the title of 'God of Investment.' He made billions on the New York Stock Exchange overnight, creating his legend and shooting himself to fame. However, he never appeared in any news outlets, only his name, which had always been in the Wall Street Journal. He was shrouded in mystery and extremely low-key, so only a few people could have seen his true face.

"Just this afternoon, I received a call from his assistant. She said Alvis was interested in cooperating with the Wright Corporation. Unfortunately, he wanted Leila to be in charge of this project." Philip sighed, but his eyes glistened maliciously.

"What? How could Alvis think highly of your daughter? Now, it would be difficult for you to act against her." The man scoffed. His fox eyes glimmered with venomous light.

"Don't you think it's a good opportunity? Since Alvis wanted her to be in charge of the project, I'd pull the strings behind the scenes, and when an accident happened on the project, no one would think it was me. This time, she won't even know how she died!" Philip laughed maniacally.