I was devoted to Tom Collin, a man whose ambition I once admired. I gave up my career, my future, my entire identity for him. I was the perfect wife while he built his empire. But when he reached the top, I became invisible.
Then I found him with her—his college ex, the woman who’d abandoned him when he had nothing. When I confronted him, the man I married vanished, replaced by a monster whose hands left bruises on my skin.
I was finally ready to leave. But I never got the chance. He left our five-year-old daughter, Joy, alone for his mistress. And in his absence, my baby was murdered.
I buried my child, and with her, the weak woman I used to be. In a haze of grief, I let a handsome stranger hold me for one night in Italy—a single moment of oblivion.
Five years later, I live for one purpose: Revenge. Tom Collin will pay for what he did. He has no idea the woman now standing before him. But my new boss… he might. The magnetic CEO of our rival company is the stranger from that night. And he doesn’t know he’s the father of my secret daughter.


True power never announces itself with fanfare or grand gestures. It slips through shadows, draped in designer clothes and sweet smiles, striking only when the target least expects it. Most people never recognize it until the damage is already done.


A soft giggle escaped my lips as Allie delivered another sharp observation through the phone. My hand instinctively flew to my mouth, a practiced gesture I'd perfected during those months in Seoul. The delicate movement made me appear fragile, innocent even. Such a simple trick, yet so effective at disarming people's suspicions.


"Exactly what I mean," Allie's voice crackled with satisfaction. "These self-righteous types think their moral high ground will save them. They parade around like saints, expecting the world to reward their goodness. What a joke."


Chapter 30 - Chapter 30 Seven Seven Seven