Chapter 22 Sofia walked briskly down the marble corridor, the clicking of her heels echoing in the vast silence. She kept her gaze fixed forward, refusing to let the turmoil of the past few days show on her face. Andrea, Maria—she forced those names from her thoughts. This was business. Nothing else mattered. Focus, Sofia. You’ve faced more difficult rooms before. You can handle this. The conference hall doors loomed ahead, grand and polished, a statement of wealth and legacy. With a steadying breath, Sofia pushed them open and stepped inside. The room was already filling with the most influential figures of the Konstantinou empire. Old money families, seasoned executives, and shrewd investors sat along the long table, their voices a low hum of conversation. Some sipped from crystal glasses of water, others typed briskly on their tablets, preparing notes for the discussions ahead. Sofia moved toward her place near the head of the table, her posture impeccable. Though her insides c

Chapter 26 The conference room had not yet recovered from the storm of Maria’s declaration when the guards, following her command, escorted Nikolai toward the doors. He kicked and struggled, his protests echoing down the polished corridor. “Unhand me! Do you know who I am?!” he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. But his cries only sounded more pitiful, more ridiculous, as the doors swung shut behind him with a thud. The silence that followed was absolute. All that remained in the grand boardroom was the thick, suffocating tension—and the fragile threads of Sofia’s dignity. Her face was pale, but her spine remained rigid, her pride the only weapon she had left. Slowly, deliberately, she drew in a breath and turned her icy gaze toward Andrea. Her voice was sharp, like the edge of a knife dipped in frost. “I was wrong,” she said coldly. “I was wrong to try and cut off your grandmother’s medicine. But you—” her tone grew harsher, her eyes glinting with venom “—you should

Chapter 27 The heavy glass doors of the hospital swung open, and Sofia stepped out into the cool evening air. Her heels clicked sharply against the polished stone steps, but her stride was stiff, her face pale as though she had been hollowed out. Rage and humiliation boiled beneath her carefully composed expression, yet she forced herself to walk with dignity. Just a few meters away, leaning against a lamppost with disheveled hair and a bruised pride, Nikolai’s eyes lit up when he spotted her. He sprang forward, his voice trembling with forced grievance. “Sofia!” he cried, almost stumbling as he rushed down the steps. His tone was raw, half desperation and half outrage. “They—they dragged me out like some criminal! That Andrea, he’s colluding with that woman, humiliating me—no, humiliating us! You saw it, didn’t you? He’s betrayed you. He’s chosen her over his own wife!” Sofia stopped in her tracks, the sound of his voice slicing through her turbulent thoughts. Slowly, she turned h

Chapter 29 After Maria left, the conference room fell silent, but Andrea still felt as though he were living in a dream. The black card in his hand seemed to burn against his palm, heavy with meaning, heavy with power. Just days ago, he had been treated like nothing, insulted, accused, belittled. Now, Maria had thrust upon him a new identity, a new shield, and a new battlefield. But even with the promise of wealth and status, Andrea’s heart pulled him in one direction—the ward where his grandmother lay. She was the only constant in his life, the only person who had loved him unconditionally, who had stood by him when the world called him worthless. He walked down the long, sterile hallway, each step echoing faintly off the polished floor. The scent of disinfectant filled his nose, sharp and cold, reminding him of all the nights he had spent here, helplessly watching his grandmother’s frail body waste away. When he pushed open the door to her ward, the sight nearly broke him all ov

Chapter 31 The black card gleamed under the boutique’s spotlights like a blade in the dark. For a long moment, no one moved, as if the entire store had frozen. Andrea stood tall, his face calm and unreadable, but inside he could feel the shift in the air. The same people who had mocked him seconds ago now stared with wide eyes, the smugness draining from their expressions. The red-lipped salesgirl’s throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. Her colleague tugged at her sleeve, whispering nervously, “Is that… is that what I think it is?” “It can’t be,” the first one muttered, her voice trembling despite herself. “People like him don’t carry a black card.” Andrea arched an eyebrow. “What’s the matter? Weren’t you eager to serve real customers? Or does your training not cover how to handle premium clients?” His words were sharp, slicing through the oppressive silence. Several other shoppers had gathered closer, curiosity gleaming in their eyes. A few even pulled out their phones, discreet