Chapter 2

The next morning, I saw Elena in the dining room. She wore Leon's silk robe that had a loose neckline, revealing a fresh love bite on her neck.

"Morning, Isabella," she said with a smug smile. "Leon says this looks better on me than it ever did on you."

I kept my head down, sipping my black coffee in silence.

"Enjoy your last few days in this penthouse," she added, then strolled out with her coffee, triumph written all over her face.

Just as I put my cup down, a velvet box appeared before me. Leon had given me a tiara, set with a rare and sizable tanzanite that shimmered a deep blue-violet under the morning light.

"Isabella, I'm sorry about yesterday," he said softly. "I swear I won't let her hurt you again. Please forgive me, okay? Here—let me put this on you."

I tilted my head ever so slightly, dodging his hand. He froze, seemingly stunned, like he couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

"Ms. Harrington's waiting. You should go."

He hesitated for a moment, then handed me the box. "Wear it for me tonight, when I get back."

I closed the box without a word and walked to the safe. There, I added a new label: 98/99.

Only one more to go.

With everything in place, I went alone to the appointment I had made at St. Sire Private Clinic. The procedure was quick—one sharp, hollow pain twisted in my abdomen, then it faded into numb stillness. Just like that, I was alone again. With it, something inside me had died too.

I dragged my weak body back to the penthouse. The moment I pushed open the door to my bedroom, I froze. Scattered across the carpet were pieces of shattered metal and glass.

My "Breakthrough in Pharmaceutical Science" trophy from university, the only honor I had earned with my own hands, was now crushed into a pile of worthless fragments.

Elena was just about to head out, her purse slung over one shoulder, when she saw me. She wore a smug smile as she taunted, "Oh, hi, Isabella. I did you a little favor and cleared out your trash."

She shrugged innocently. "It was just a gold-plated cup. Cheap things like that certainly don't belong in a home that Leon and I share."

I roared, "That was my trophy!"

"Oh. You really think he'd condemn me over that pathetic scrap of metal?"

My hands shook as I dropped to the floor, trying to pick up the sharp, glinting shards scattered around her feet. Suddenly, she collapsed onto the ground, letting out a soft gasp.

At that moment, Leon stepped out of the study and witnessed the misleading scene just in time. He frowned as he looked at the smashed trophy pieces around Elena and my pale face.

I had assumed he would've at least asked what happened, but he didn't. He only walked past me and gently helped Elena up from the floor.

"Leon, I accidentally knocked over her trophy… Isabella only got mad because of that. Please don't hold it against her," she said innocently.

"It was wrong of Elena to knock it over, but that doesn't mean you should push her over a trophy, Isabella. Now, apologize."

He added, somewhat impatiently, "Don't worry—I'll have a designer custom-make you a new one, something better than that old thing."

For the first time, I looked him straight in the eye. In those eyes, all that was left was indifference, a half-hearted attempt to keep the peace.

Three years ago, after I led my team through a sleepless month to finally complete our project, it was Leon who personally walked me onto that stage to accept the award and witnessed the honor.

That night, he rented out the billboards just to replay the announcement of my name. Fireworks had lit up the New Lyon sky like a celebration meant only for me.

Back then, his eyes were filled with nothing but me. He had said, "My princess, you deserve all the best things this world can offer."

Ever since Elena appeared, though, his gaze slowly shifted. Now, every promise he once made was nothing more than broken shards on the floor.

"Don't bother, Mr. Vincent," I said quietly. "Thank you for everything over the years."

Leon's face dropped instantly. The way I addressed him so formally had seemingly struck a nerve. For the first time, real panic flickered across his expression. He finally sensed something amiss…

"Isabella, you don't look so well. You're pale and—" he called out.

"Leon, honey…" Elena interrupted sweetly. "My foot hurts. I think I twisted it when I fell earlier."

Just like that, his attention shifted. He turned away from me and scooped Elena up, already on his way out the door. All I got in return was a hollow sentence tossed over his shoulder. "You should take the time to calm down. We'll talk later."

Two days later, Elena sent over a photo. She and Leon were wrapped around each other in a passionate kiss as they stood at the edge of a private yacht. I stared quietly at the photo, then opened my laptop.

In the browser, I typed, "Azara Tropical Disease Research Program Application". I filled it in, pressed "Confirm", and submitted it.

That was it. It was time to go.