Chapter 1

Twelve years ago, Leon pulled me out of a burning building and raised me. I decided that after the 99th time he cast me aside, I would walk away for good.…I finally stepped into St. Sire Private Clinic in New Lyon. Alone, I scheduled the abortion procedure and signed my name, Isabella Rossi, on the consent form. This was my final chance—to him, and to myself.At the end of the hallway, a few elegantly dressed socialites were whispering to the nurse, stealing glances at me."That's her," one of them murmured. "Leon Vincent's ward in a gilded cage.""I heard she's extremely ambitious. Did she really think she could compete with the daughter of the Harringtons?""She really doesn't know her place, does she? A lowborn orphan girl thinking she can climb the ladder by getting pregnant with Mr. Vincent's child? What a joke."I didn't even look their way. I kept my head down, held in everything I was feeling, and walked straight out of the hospital.Back at the penthouse, the butler,

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

Chapter 3

I began packing my luggage. Moments later, Frank rushed in, panic evident on his face. "Ms. Rossi, have you seen the news?"I pulled out my phone to check the trending news. Then, I saw the top finance headline in bold text."Leon Vincent's Ward, Isabella Rossi, Accused of Repaying Kindness With Betrayal—Suspected of Leaking Core Pharmaceutical Data, Causing Vincent Group Over 100 Million Dollars in Losses."The accompanying image was my university ID photo. The next news alert immediately took over the screen."Socialite Elena Harrington Hospitalized Due to Emotional Distress as Vincent Group Stock Plunges—Blamed on Betrayal by Leon Vincent's Ward, Isabella Rossi."The photo showed her in a hospital gown, leaning weakly near a window with tears in her eyes. Her talent for drama and framing was unreal.I switched off my phone, folded the last outfit I had packed, and put it into my suitcase.Subsequently, I learned that the Drake family, Vincent Group's business rivals, who had

Chapter 4

Frank exclaimed, "Mr. Vincent!"Panic and despair flooded Leon's eyes. He roared, "Find her, Frank! Use every contact and resource the family has and bring her back to me!"Frank had never seen Leon like this before. He lowered his head respectfully and answered, "Yes, Mr. Vincent."For the next hour, Frank kept making calls, chasing any news about me. Leon's world burned in anxious chaos.He sat like a lost soul in the walk-in closet filled with the jewelry he had given me. That label marked "99/99" was like an unhealable scar, burning deep into his heart.All those times he thought he was making things up to me turned out to just be another line in a ledger of pain.Meanwhile, Elena's call came at the worst possible moment. "Leon, honey, I heard from Frank that you're not feeling well. What's going on?"Her voice was full of concern. "We've almost finalized the wedding details, and the Harringtons have already sent over the guest list—""Shut up!" Leon snapped, his voice shar

Chapter 5

Leon lifted his bloodshot eyes. "Talk."Melvin slid a tablet across the desk. "The data breach wasn't an external attack, after all."He tapped the screen, where a detailed network flow diagram lit up. "The data was transferred through an internally authorized port to an encrypted server."Melvin hesitated, then added, "We traced the server's IP address, and it led us to an offshore shell company owned by Harrington Group."Leon's eyes locked on the screen before Melvin tapped an audio recording and hit play. Elena's venomous voice poured from the speaker, loud and clear."I want him to think it was that bitch who did it. That way, he'll hate her forever and cut her out of his life for good. Once Vincent Group is in trouble, he won't survive without my father's help. By then, everything he has will be ours."The recording ended.Rage churned deep in Leon's chest, but on his face, there was no fury. Instead, only a terrifying, ash-gray calm that was worse than anger settled on hi

Chapter 6

A week later, Harrington Group's stock hit rock bottom, and they officially filed for bankruptcy. Every major financial headline in New Lyon was plastered with photos from Elena's scandal.Leon had won the war. His business strike hit its mark, and he came out on top. At the same time, he lost everything.In his hand, he held the last slip of paper I ever left him, scrawled with the numbers, "99/99."He used to think it was just a silly game, but he finally realized it was my way of measuring his love. He was the one who had reduced it to zero."Isabella, I know where it all went wrong. Where on earth are you?"Late into the night, a phone rang sharply. Leon snatched it up before the second ring. It was Mr. Wilk, the private investigator. "Mr. Vincent, we have news on Ms. Rossi."Leon's breath caught."She's in Paori, Azara—a remote medical research facility."There was a pause on the other end, as if Robert was carefully choosing his words. "The conditions there are… rough. Ve